To Be, or Not to Be
by Ice-Princess-Amber
Summary: Circle Starlight goes on a journey to find one of their own's kidnapped mother. Julian the Shadow Man makes his entrance.
1. Meeting most of the crew...

Author's Notes: You people getting sick of me yet? Well, I'm here to stay, so :P. Anyhoo, this is my last Nightworld fanfic, but happens earlier than Inner Circle and Destiny's Choice. Read and review plz? (Corny title for a story, I know).  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the Nightworld, the names Redfern or whoever else appears from Ms. Smith's Nightworld series. And unfortunately, I do NOT own Julian. Damn Shadow Men always run and hide when they see me.  
  
  
  
To Be, or Not to Be?...  
  
It was spring. Flowers were blooming, trees were budding, and birds were chirping. Passerbys could see rabbits, squirrels, birds, and of course, the occasional odd wolf or tiger. Yes, that's right, there were tigers in this small town. Of course, the humans never knew, but that's because the tigers belonged to the Night World. A small, cheerful house stood like a sentinel at the entrance to a heavily-wooded park. Sitting on the porch was a teenage girl of about seventeen. Her curly, light-brown hair cascaded down her back and all the way to her hips. If one were to get close to her, they would see her blue eyes narrowed in concentration as she searched the street. A regular human would leave, thinking that she was a normal teen. If perhaps, they had stayed, they would have seen the setting sun reflected in her now brown eyes. Another instant later and the girl's now green eyes shone with joy. Three people were walking down the street. One was a tall boy who looked around her age. Walking next to him was a girl who looked slightly younger then he was. In front of them was a short boy who looked like he belonged in middle school. The girl on the porch smiled and waved to the group. Waving back, the three of them jogged up to her. "Hey guys, what's up?" the porch-girl asked.  
  
"Not much, Angel," the taller boy replied.  
  
"Wow Marik, think you can spare all the details?" the shorter boy asked sarcastically. Marik just looked at him.  
  
"Austin, do us all a favor. Go dig a deep pit, and then throw yourself into it," he shot back, glaring at Austin, who was visibly trying to think of a comeback.  
  
"Brothers," the other girl commented, rolling her eyes and sighing.  
  
"You mean Tyler brothers, Amber," Angel clarified, smiling at her friend. Amber looked at the two boys. Austin was still staring at his brother, a defiant look in his amber eyes. His dirty-blonde hair was plastered to his head, and looked like it hadn't seen a comb in days. Marik looked back at his younger brother through smoky-gray eyes. Usually those eyes held a look of either endless wisdom, or playful fun. Now they held a look of Back off or else... Marik's dark-brown hair fell into his eyes and stayed there even when he shook his head. Laughing softly, Amber reached up and brushed it out of his eyes for him. Austin started laughing as his brother turned a deep crimson. Marik turned to face Amber, a wounded look on his face.  
  
"Do you always have to do that?" She considered his question for a moment.  
  
"Yes." Mischief was shining in her ice-blue eyes. Her pale face was framed by long tendrils of ice-blonde hair No wonder the others called her the Ice Princess. Not only did her features reflect it, but if you crossed Amber Johnson the wrong way, her blue eyes froze you solid when you looked at her. Angel ushered the three of them into the house. Austin sat on a backed bench, while Angel sat down gracefully in lotus-position on the floor. Marik sat down on the edge of the couch. Amber, as Angel knew she would, sat down right next to him.  
  
"Where is everyone?" Austin wanted to know as soon as they were all seated. Marik leaned over and whispered to Amber.  
  
"He means, where's Gepard?" he whispered so that Austin wouldn't hear. He and Amber then both giggled softly. Just then a scrape was heard at the back door. A moment later another scrape sounded, and Angel got up and opened the door. A thin, beautifully-spotted cheetah stepped into the room. Gazing around, it spotted Austin and went to sit next to him. Angel noticed little hairs on the floor, and more coming off the cheetah.  
  
"My carpet! I just had it cleaned too! Gepard, I wish you would tell me if you're shedding or not," she scolded the cat. The cheetah stood still for a moment, and then its featured rearranged themselves into those of a teen girl. Gepard Lowen had wheat-blonde hair that bounced around her face. Her grass-green eyes were alert and ready for action.  
  
"Redferns. Always worried about their possessions," she told Angel.  
  
" 'Shifters. Never caring whose possessions they destroy," Angel replied, her eyes shifting quickly from brown to violet.  
  
"Vampires. Never give a damn who they destroy." Amber spoke up, her blue eyes giving a warning look to her friends.  
  
"Cool it," she ordered simply, her voice flat and serious. Angel and Gepard just shrugged and listened. Sighing, Amber put her head on Marik's shoulder. He leaned back and put his arm around her. Gepard pretended to be sick.  
  
"Gag me," she quipped, looking at the vampire-couple, and then at Austin, who backed away.  
  
"I'd love to," Marik replied, teasing her. Gepard would've responded, but the doorbell rang and Angel answered it. She returned with a boy and girl her age.  
  
"Hi Sage. Hi Leah," Austin greeted the pair. Sage Carter looked back at him through solemn hazel eyes. He used one hand to brush his hair back. It was shaggy, and went from dark-brown to black in the changing light. Leah Martin had golden-blonde hair that hung in waves halfway down her back. Her blue-gray eyes were wise and understanding. Both Sage and Leah were Old- Souls, their spirits having been through hundreds of past lives. Leah was the only human that was accepted in the group. Sage was a werewolf and belonged to the Night World, as did the others.  
  
"Hello everyone," Leah replied as she and Sage sat down together on the other end of the couch. They weren't a couple, but they hung out together a lot because of their Old-Soul connection. Amber smiled at Sage, who was one of her best friends.  
  
"Is this everyone?" Sage asked as he quickly scanned the room.  
  
"Lyca and Dahlia should've been here already. Did anyone hear from Kat and Skye?" Angel wondered.  
  
"Didn't they have a Circle meeting this morning?" Marik brought up, always the one to remember everything.  
  
"But I thought it would've been over by now," Gepard pointed out.  
  
"The families don't see each other that often. Besides, they were having a party for their new cousin, Rose," Leah explained.  
  
"Another girl?" Austin asked, shaking his head in confusion. Witches were weird. They were the only ones in the Night World who traced their family line through the women. Wolves, 'shifters, and vampires all traced through the men.  
  
"Yeah. It's really nice that the family gets together for a celebration like that," Amber sighed. Angel smiled to herself, knowing that Amber would like to get married and raise a family someday. She just hadn't gotten around to informing Marik about it. Boy, was he in for a shock. Suddenly a series of short knocks sounded on the front door. Angel sprang up to answer it. She led two girls into the room. One of these girls had curly, fiery- orange-red hair. Her jade-green eyes sparkled with a life all their own. Gepard stood while Sage followed her lead. Their princess, Dahlia Drache, a tiger 'shifter, had arrived. Dahlia saw them standing and raised her eyes to the ceiling.  
  
"Will you sit down? I'm your friend, not a spoiled snob who demands attention all the time," she told them as they resumed their seats. Sometimes the standing was okay, but Dahlia expected it from adults, not her friends.  
  
"They're honoring you, Dahlia," the other girl stated, shaking her hair out of a ponytail. It tumbled down in soft brown curls that framed her face. Her liquid-brown eyes shone with an inner light. Lyca Richards was a gray wolf, the only one besides Sage. Dahlia just looked at Lyca, sighed, and sat down next to Angel. The doorbell rang and Angel groaned because she was tired of getting up and down. Lyca motioned for her to sit and then went to get the door. She returned with two more girls. The older girl looked at the group through amethyst eyes. Her mousy-brown hair shone in the lamplight of the room. This was Skye Eirne, who originally was a Harman until her widowered father remarried. Next to Skye was her distant cousin, Katarina Vatavitch, or Kat as they called her. Kat had obsidian-black hair that contrasted sharply with her pale skin. Her wide, violet eyes shone like liquid pools of purple. Both of them had come from an extended Circle meeting for their cousin, Rose.  
  
"Unity all."  
  
"Unity," the others replied in the traditional witch greeting. Kat immediately started looking around the room.  
  
"Where's Silver?" she asked, not finding her best friend, Silver Virgata, a white tiger 'shifter.  
  
"I don't know, Kat. Didn't you talk to her last night?" Angel asked her.  
  
"Yeah, but nothing was going on except that her father was coming." Gasps of surprise echoed through the room.  
  
"Her father?! But she hasn't seen him since she was born," Skye finally said.  
  
"It's probably because she turned sixteen," Amber realized, remembering that Silver's birthday had been last week.  
  
"Well whatever the reason, when she gets here we'll support her in meeting her dad," Leah stated, calm as ever. She no sooner spoke then a hollow knock came from the door. Dahlia got up and answered it. She returned with a very shaky Silver. Her navy-blue eyes were frantic, and her copper hair was a mess. She kept running her hand through her hair so that the dark stripes that ran through it were more and more visible.  
  
"I can't believe it! I just can't believe it!" she said over and over again.  
  
"What can't you believe?" Gepard demanded, getting impatient.  
  
"My father! I can't believe who he is!" Silver yelled as she stopped pacing the room.  
  
"Who is your father?" Sage wanted to know, his voice cool and collected.  
  
"My father is a Redfern! More importantly, my half-brother and sisters are Ash, Rowan, Kestrel, and Jade!" The room was plunged into silence as the rest of the group took on the meaning of her words. Angel was blinking rapidly while Dahlia shook her head. Kat and Skye looked at each other in surprise. Sage and Leah were at a loss for words- for once. Lyca just sat there, trying to make sense of it all. Austin and Gepard were staring at Silver, their jaws touching the floor. Amber raised herself off Marik a little bit and stared wide-eyed at her friend. Marik grimaced and then put one hand over his eyes.  
  
"Tell me this is not happening." Amber looked at him.  
  
"It is." He took his hand away and stared at her.  
  
"I asked you not to tell me," he told her as she hit his shoulder softly. Silver had regained her composure and went on explaining  
  
"That's not the worst of it." Gepard snapped her jaw up. She closed Austin's mouth for him.  
  
"You mean there's more?"  
  
"What could be worse than being half-sister to Ash-hole?" Kat seriously asked, always ready to diss Ash Redfern. Angel could stand it no longer, and she burst out laughing. As Kat's joke sank in the others started laughing as well. Angel finally regained her self-control.  
  
"No really, I do love my cousins," she swore as the room quieted down again. Just then the front door burst off its hinges and someone entered the house. Angel and Dahlia rose quickly from the floor. Lyca changed into a wolf as Gepard shifted to half-form. Leah and Sage stood up, and Sage instinctively pushed Leah behind him. Skye and Kat backed away from the door, and Silver and Austin got in front of them. Marik and Amber sprang off the couch, both of them in a fighting stance. They were all ready to fight and were caught completely off guard when... Alex walked in dragging something. When he saw everyone in "kill-mode", he threw up his hands in a gesture of surrender.  
  
"Hey, hey, hey! I give! I give!.. Unless you really want to fight," he wondered, an evil smile on his face and a playful gleam in his sky-blue eyes. His dirty-blonde hair was wind-blown, and he shook it out of his eyes. The others relaxed, but Angel just stared at him.  
  
"My door. You broke my door," she said slowly, her eyes turning green, then violet, and then red. Alex backed away from her.  
  
"I'm sorry, all right! I'll never do it again! I promise!" he pleaded with her. Angel relaxed a little.  
  
"See that you don't." Then she motioned him in.  
  
"Alex, don't you ever knock first?" Gepard demanded, totally disgusted with his presence. Even so, they had a good understanding of each other. He understood that Gepard didn't like him, and she understood that Alex didn't like her.  
  
"I would have, but I found a vermin on the doorstep," he replied, pointing to the thing he had been dragging. It was a teenage boy who was bound and had a cloth bag over his head. "I thought that he'd make a good snack," Alex continued, running his tongue over his now extended canines. Angel looked from him to the human boy.  
  
"Go ahead, Alex. Just don't get any blood on my semi-clean carpet," she warned, shooting a look at Gepard, who twiddled her thumbs and whistled. Alex untied the boy and removed the bag. As soon as the bag was off, Alex was on him so that the others wouldn't see his prey's face. But he wasn't fast enough. Amber and Marik saw who the human was and practically flew off the couch.  
  
"Alex no!" Amber screamed as Marik tackled him and Amber pulled the boy up. His hands were shaking as he ran them through his orange hair. Turning to face the group, he looked at them with terrified, hazel eyes. They all gasped in surprise when they realized who it was. Sage jumped up and went over to him. Marik was struggling to keep his grip on Alex. Both of the boys were strong, but Alex was bigger and so had the advantage.  
  
"Get off of me!" Alex yelled, kicking Marik hard with both feet. A sharp CRACK! was heard as Marik fell to the floor, gasping for air. Amber was on Alex in a flash, her eyes blazing blue fire. She fixed her long, cold gaze on Alex, who stopped struggling as he stared at the young lamia.  
  
"If you hurt him, I'll snap your neck like a twig," she threatened, completely serious. Angel came over and pulled her off Alex.  
  
"Don't Amber, he's not worth it." Scowling, Amber got up and went over to Marik, who was sitting up by this time. Skye kneeled down beside the two of them.  
  
"Any extensive damage?" she asked, quickly looking him over.  
  
"Just a few broken ribs, nothing major," he replied as Amber ran her hand gently over his chest. He winced when she touched a broken rib, and she stopped and took his hand.  
  
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have overreacted like that," she apologized quietly, hanging her head. Marik squeezed her hand and she looked up. Angel now stood behind Marik.  
  
"You're forgiven. Just don't ever do it again," she told her, a faint smile on her lips.  
  
"Hey Sage, who's the kid you're hiding?" Lyca asked, as she hadn't seen his face yet. Sage moved away and Dahlia rolled her eyes and looked at Angel, who faced the human with hands on her hips.  
  
"You'd better have a good reason for being here, Peter," she told Sage's friend and the group's resident human pest. 


	2. The storm, in more ways than one...

Chapter 2  
  
"Hey, Angel. What's shakin'?" Peter asked, his nerves completely shot by now. Gepard eyed him warily.  
  
"You are," she informed him, noticing his very unsteady hands. He quickly folded them and put them in his lap.  
  
"Peter, what in the Goddess' name are you doing here?" Dahlia demanded, tired of playing cat and mouse. Peter looked at the entire group before answering.  
  
"I came here to join." Everyone but Sage stared wide-eyed at him.  
  
"Say that again?" Austin said, not sure he had heard right.  
  
"Please don't. I can't take two big shocks in less than one hour," Marik protested, still sitting on the floor.  
  
"It shouldn't be a shock. After Sage explained things to me, he was going to ta-" Peter started, before Gepard cut him off.  
  
"Sage did what?" she yelled, facing the wolf.  
  
"Sage, how could you do this to us?" Alex asked, confused by Peter's words. Leah then spoke up, her clear, soft voice making a deadly point.  
  
"Sage, you broke Night World Law." The room became funeral-quiet.  
  
"I know I did, but Peter is a lost witch." But Amber shook her head.  
  
"No he's not. Leah and her sister are, but he's not. I checked his entire family tree against all the witch family trees. Nobody matched. Not even a third cousin twice removed. He's a telepath, but he is definitely human. I'm sorry Sage, but you know the Law," she replied sadly. Sage hung his head in sorrow. He did know the Law. And if Amber the Chronicler said Peter wasn't a witch, then he wasn't a witch. Suddenly, Lyca spoke up.  
  
"Wait. We're Circle Starlight, right?" she asked as heads nodded. "And if we're not affiliated with Circle Midnight or Circle Daybreak, then no one will ever have to know about him," she finished as all the light bulbs in everyone's heads clicked on.  
  
"Good thinking, Lyca," Skye congratulated, smiling at her friend. Lyca beamed, and Sage bowed slightly to show his appreciation.  
  
"Many thanks for saving my-"  
  
"Hide?" Alex interrupted as he laughed at his own joke. Angel and Dahlia both hit Peter to make him speak.  
  
"Ow! Thanks, Lyca," he said, rubbing the back of his head. Silver stood in the corner, tapping her foot, and arms were folded over her chest.  
  
"Excuse me, but I'm in the middle of a crisis here!" she yelled, getting everyone's attention.  
  
"Come on guys, shut-up! Listen to Silver's problem!" Kat added, backing up her friend. Angel assumed control of the group again.  
  
"Go ahead, Silver."  
  
"Anyway. As I was saying, I met my dad. He told me that if I really loved him, I would do him a favor and save my family's honor. He told me to join Circle Midnight and help him and some of the others from the enclave hunt down renegade Redferns!" she yelled in hysterics. Angel put her head in her hands.  
  
"Shit." Kat looked shocked.  
  
"Are you sure, Silver?"  
  
"Yes, I'm sure. And to make matter worse, Ash called last night after Kat and I hung up. He wants me to get you guys into Circle Daybreak."  
  
"Double shit," Dahlia said, imitating Angel's position. Outside, the wind had picked up so that the roof was creaking. A soft rain began to fall, but soon became a wind-driven sheet of pelting rain. Gepard and Austin looked out the window.  
  
"The weather didn't say anything about rain," Austin commented, closing the sash tightly. It wasn't often they got a storm this bad.  
  
"You're right. It was supposed to be a hot night, and then an even hotter day tomorrow," Gepard added as she realized it was now hailing.  
  
"April showers bring May flowers," Leah told her. Sage disagreed.  
  
"Showers yes, but this reminds me of the monsoon season of India."  
  
"Well then if it's not a natural storm, why don't we ask our little witches to quit with the water-works?" Alex brought up, looking first at Skye and Kat, and then at Leah. All three of them were taken aback by his words.  
  
"We aren't doing it," Skye shot back.  
  
"Well, this certainly isn't a natural storm," Peter chimed in, gazing outside.  
  
"Why do you say that?" Marik asked, curious as to what Peter knew.  
  
"Because there's a tornado across the street." He suddenly grew pale and whipped his head back around. He pressed his face up against the windowpane. "A tornado!" he said again, this time screaming the word. The others became alarmed at this news.  
  
"WHAT?" they all shouted, rushing to the window. Sure enough, a large tornado was swirling at the edge of the driveway. Its winds started tearing large branches off the surrounding trees. Angel reacted quickly.  
  
"Witchcraft or not, that thing is deadly. Everyone to the basement, NOW!" she ordered as the group threw open the door and clambered down the steps. Everyone except Amber, who was rooted to the spot.  
  
"Move Amber!" Dahlia yelled, looking at the young vampire. At the moment, she looked like a frightened five year-old human.  
  
"I can't! I'm scared!" she called back, visibly shaking. Marik reached for  
  
her.  
  
"Take my hand! Unless you feel like being ripped apart by a tornado!" He was always the voice of reason. Trembling, Amber grabbed his hand and he pulled her to the door and down the steps. Sage slammed the door and double- bolted it shut. Angel lit a lantern and the others sat around on pillows, chairs, tables, and mattresses. Amber was holding Marik and shaking. Silver, Kat, and Skye were talking softly in a huddle. Sage and Leah sat calmly near Marik and Amber. Lyca was kneeling next to Alex, who sat with his arms across his chest. Peter rocked himself and whistled softly. Gepard and Austin kept their eyes riveted on the storm window and the door. Gepard had drawn her knees up and clasped her arms around them. Dahlia sat in lotus position next to Angel, keeping her eyes and ears open. Angel also sat in lotus position as she watched the group.  
  
"If my house is touched in any way, there's going to be hell to pay."  
  
"What time is it?" Kat wondered aloud. Austin looked at his watch.  
  
"Almost nine o'clock."  
  
"Seeing as how we'll probably have to wait the storm out, I say we take shifts and get some sleep. The second it's safe, we leave and find the person or persons who sent this freak-storm," Angel told them. Amber drew a book from under a blanket and opened it to a marked page.  
  
"We'll take first watch," she said as Marik nodded in agreement. Angel looked at them, shrugged, and lay down to talk with Dahlia. Around her, the others either lay down to whisper quietly, or fell asleep. When the room was quiet, Marik looked at the pale blonde next to him.  
  
"What happened up there?" She put her book down and drew a blanket around both their shoulders.  
  
"I got frightened. Something about tornadoes just freaks me out, but I don't know what." He smiled and put his arm around her.  
  
"Don't worry. I'm a big, strong man, so I'll protect you," he told her, half-joking and half-serious. Short bursts of laughter came from Gepard and Austin.  
  
"Sure Marik, whatever you say," Gepard quipped, still laughing.  
  
"Right Marik, if you say so," Austin added as they drifted back to sleep. Amber looked at them, a small frown on her face.  
  
"They sure know how to ruin the moment," she noted, shaking her head slightly at her friends' sleeping forms. Marik smiled and laughed softly.  
  
"That's what friends are for." Alex lifted his head up and stared at them.  
  
"Shut-up, will you? I'm trying to sleep!" Ignoring him completely, they continued talking until Gepard and Austin took over three hours later. It was during Sage and Leah's watch that the winds slowed a little and the downpour tapered to a drizzle. Mumbling something about nature's perfect timing, Sage helped Leah wake the others. It was going to be a long day. 


	3. The aftermath...

Chapter 3  
  
"Storm over already?" Angel asked as Leah shook her gently.  
  
"It's not completely over, but it's safe to go out," Leah replied as Dahlia sat up and yawned. Sage tapped Alex on the shoulder, and he came up swinging.  
  
"Woah Alex, it's me, Sage!" he assured him as Alex fully woke up. He grinned sheepishly.  
  
"Sorry Sage. Natural reflex to a tap when I'm asleep," he replied as he leaned over and punched Peter's shoulder. "Wake up, vermin!" Peter sat bolt upright, holding his shoulder.  
  
"Hey, what gives? I'm awake." They all tried to ignore him. Gepard woke up and rolled over, hitting Austin in the process. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. Dahlia walked over and tapped Silver, Kat, and Skye on their heads. Mumbling incoherently, they sat up and yawned. Silver threw a pillow at Lyca, who caught it and threw it back without even opening her eyes.  
  
"Morning Silver," she greeted, eyes still closed.  
  
"Come on Lyca, get up," Silver whined as Lyca's eyelids fluttered open.  
  
"Happy?"  
  
"Much better."  
  
"Hey big, strong man, wake up," Gepard called to Marik. Amber rolled over and looked at her.  
  
"You are so mean to him." Gepard just flashed a toothy grin.  
  
"The sun had better have risen if you want me to get up," came Marik's sleepy voice. Austin walked over and than purposely fell on his brother. Angel heard Marik gasp, and then she and Dahlia grabbed Austin before Amber could. Marik had his arms wrapped around himself, and Angel could tell he was struggling to breathe. Gepard was laughing, but Leah didn't think it was funny.  
  
"Stop it, Gepard. He's hurt and it's not funny." Gepard just looked at her.  
  
"Make me stop," she said threateningly. Alex wacked her and then the room was a blur. Gepard shifted and leaped for Alex. But before she could hit him, two wolves tackled her in mid-flight. Gepard still fought, but then she saw the white tiger standing over her. Realizing Silver was there, and that she was outnumbered one to three, Gepard reluctantly shifted back. Lyca and Sage took the wolves' place, and Silver helped Gepard stand up. Angel quickly settled the scenario. She pointed first to Gepard.  
  
"You, no killing Circle members." Next came Alex. "You, no hitting Night World Circle members." And finally, she and Dahlia shook Austin hard. "And you, no jumping on wounded Circle or family members. Next time, we'll let Amber break your ribs." Looking at Amber and his brother, Austin gave a faint smile. Marik turned away, and Amber gave a soft hiss.  
  
"Okay look, this lull in the storm isn't going to stay like this for very long. I say we leave now and find out exactly what's going on," Kat piped up. Peter timidly raised his hand.  
  
"I second the motion." Marik laughed softly.  
  
"This isn't the Senate." Amber looked at him, hands on her hips. "What?" She just raised an eyebrow at him. Marik sighed heavily. Okay, we third the motion," he agreed, shooting a playful glance at Amber, who smiled back at him.  
  
"Thank you." Gepard and Austin rolled their eyes and raised their hands.  
  
"We agree. Hey! Stop that! Don't copy me! Meanie!" they both yelled at the same time. They then burst into hysterical laughter.  
  
"Oh no, not again," Lyca quipped, looking heavenward. Angel looked at the giggling duo, and then at the others.  
  
"All in favor of Kat's plan say "I", okay?"  
  
"I!" came the entire group's voice. Dahlia smiled and moved to the stairs.  
  
"It's unanimous then. Move out!" she called as they trooped up the steps. The house was untouched, so they kept going... Until they saw what had happened outside. Dahlia and Angel stopped short, and Lyca, Skye, Silver, and Kat crashed into them. Alex, Sage, and Leah walked right into the huddled group. Gepard and Austin ran into everyone when they couldn't stop their charge. Only Marik and Amber, who were so far behind, stopped before they hit into everyone.  
  
"What happened up there, fearless leaders?" Alex joked. The girls moved aside so that everyone could see. Gasps rippled up and down the group.  
  
"Oh-" Leah started.  
  
"My-" Skye continued.  
  
"Goddess," Sage finished, looking at all the destruction. The neighborhood looked like a war zone. The road was ripped up in a wavy line, and chunks of it lay on the lawn. Roof shingles were mixed with branches, dirt, rocks, and various knick-knacks of all kinds. A large path was cut through the woods. Telephone poles and large trees lay at odd angles all over.  
  
"Look at all of this," Silver said, getting nervous. Her eyes swept over the destruction of the street and park.  
  
"Yet not one house was destroyed," Peter realized.  
  
"Circle Daybreak sent that storm," Gepard reasoned.  
  
"No they didn't. They would never send anything that could potentially hurt anyone. I think that storm was done in this way so that we would blame CD," Sage told them.  
  
"Then if CD didn't send it, who did?" Kat asked. Silver knew the answer and hung her head.  
  
"Circle Midnight and my father." Angel realized what they were up against.  
  
"You guys do realize that the war of the Circles has started, right?" she asked. They all nodded.  
  
"So what?" Alex demanded, never one for guess-the-new-suicide-mission.  
  
"It means that CD and CM are fighting. And that Circle Starlight is caught directly in the middle," Amber informed them, her soft voice ringing clear in the quiet morning. As this sunk in, they all either looked at one another, or hung their heads. Marik put one hand over his eyes and took Amber's with the other.  
  
"That's three big shocks in less than twenty-four hours. The next one will kill me," he stated seriously.  
  
"The next shock might kill all of us, Marik," Lyca told him bluntly. And in this aspect she was deadly serious. 


	4. A Redfern gives advice, and almost loses...

Chapter 4  
  
"So now what happens?" Austin wondered, fearing the response.  
  
"We find out what the hell is going on," Alex replied, hitting his palm with his fist. He was always the first to agree to a fight.  
  
"I'm afraid that's our only choice right now," Angel agreed as they went back into the house. They all grabbed some kind of pack or knapsack and filled them with food, water, blankets, and of course, some weapons. Leading the group, Dahlia and Angel trooped into the woods, following the tornado's path. As this particular cyclone had been a large one, it was very easy to follow the trail. In fact, it seemed a little too easy.  
  
"I don't like this. It feels like we're in a trap," Skye whispered to Kat.  
  
"Ditto." Amber and Marik glanced warily around the woods.  
  
"It's so quiet and peaceful," Amber pointed out. Marik nodded in agreement.  
  
"Yeah, a little too quiet and peaceful if you ask me." They both reached for their knives. Austin felt a cold shiver run down his spine.  
  
"Yup, this is definitely a trap," he whispered to Gepard as her eyes nervously swept the forest floor.  
  
"Yeah, but for who?" His answer was a very unnerving silence. Up ahead, Dahlia signaled for a halt. As everyone looked, they could see that the tornado had veered out of the woods and gone into a housing district.  
  
"This place looks strangely familiar," Kat noted, putting her finger on her chin as she tried to remember.  
  
"You're right Kat, it does seem familiar," Lyca added.  
  
"My house! My bird! My mother!" Silver suddenly screamed, quickly taking off down the street. The others followed her to a neat, wooden house. At least it had been a neat, wooden house. It now lay in shambles. They carefully picked their way through the debris. Silver called out to her parakeet. "Marbles! Marbles! Where are you boy?" A sharp Tweet! came from under a door. Alex and Sage threw it off and Marbles came shooting up from the root cellar. He landed on Silver's outstretched finger.  
  
"There's your bird. Now where's your mom?" Alex asked, looking around.  
  
"She has to be here somewhere," Silver hoped, her gaze darting over the rubble as she stroked Marbles' back.  
  
"Don't bet on that!" Austin called out.  
  
"How could you say something like that?" Skye demanded.  
  
"Easy, we found something," Gepard clarified, holding up a sheet of paper. The others hurried over. Trembling, Silver took the paper.  
  
"It's a note. You read it Dahlia, I can't," she said, thrusting the note into her friend's hands. Dahlia cleared her throat and began:  
  
" 'Dear Silver- As you can see, the house you loved is now gone. Your mother is also gone. But don't worry, she's safe with me. I just thought a little persuasion was in order so that it would be clear to you which side to choose. When you reach your decision, come to my estate in Maine. The address is wrapped around your bird's leg. Love, Dad.' " Silver found the address.  
  
"1313 Feline Court, Augusta, Maine. How ironic."  
  
"I'll say," Angel quipped, rolling her eyes. Redfern adults were stupid when it came to symbolism.  
  
"So what do we do now?" Leah politely asked, looking around at the immense destruction.  
  
"If I know Angel, we'll be heading down to Maine to rescue Silver's mother," Sage answered. Angel nodded.  
  
"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Silver called out. She was about to take off when a voice stopped her dead in her tracks.  
  
"I wouldn't if I were you, Silver." A tall, lanky figure stepped from behind the ruined chimney. Marbles twittered angrily at the person.  
  
"Well what do you know? Animals really can sense evil," Amber said bitterly, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Hello Amber, it's nice to see you again," the figure greeted.  
  
"Quit the small talk, Ash. What do you want?" Alex demanded. Ash left his hiding place and looked at the group. A slight breeze ruffled his ash- blonde hair. His brown eyes changed in the light to a pale blue. Angel just smiled at her cousin.  
  
"Hi Ash. What's the buzz, tell me what's a happenin'." She was not surprised by his unexpected appearance. Ash grinned back at his theatrical cousin.  
  
"Hi Angel. Nothing much except the usual problems."  
  
"How's Mary-Lynette? Is she still reaching for the stars?" Dahlia wondered, smiling at him. Ash blushed at the mention of his soulmate's name.  
  
"She's doing fine. She's in college studying, and I visit her often. But I'm still wondering what to tell her parents," he revealed, a little embarrassed about the subject. Gepard snorted.  
  
"You're the great Ash Redfern. Use that wonderful personality of yours on them. They'll be falling all over you in five minutes." Ash chose not to comment.  
  
"What do you want, Ash?" Marik pressed, wanting to leave. He didn't like Ash or how he treated girls. Leaving would get him away from the troublesome Redfern that much sooner.  
  
"I came here to tell you about what I saw. I came over from the West Coast, and they're having really pretty weather down there, if you're human. Too much sun if you ask me. Anyway, the flight down was okay, but the turbulence we hit scared everyone else. So I got here and wanted to find you, but all your addresses were unlisted and I only had Silver's from CD, so naturally I went there first..." Ash said, making the story longer then it should have been. Kat rolled her eyes.  
  
"Make it fast, Ash-ley. We don't have all day," she explained, an edge of irritation in her voice. Ash put a puppy-dog look on his face.  
  
"Katarina, I'm hurt." Angel was getting impatient.  
  
"Cut it out, Ash. Get to the point." Her eyes shifted from green to violet.  
  
"Oh yeah, that. Silver, I was here with your mom when the tornado hit. I saw my father talking to her. He said he loved her and wanted to protect his last loyal child. He asked her to come with him and she agreed. Forget about your mother. She'll only get you killed." Silver stood in shocked silence for a moment. Then she shifted quickly and jumped on Ash. The others could hear her shouting telepathically at him.  
  
'You stupid, rotten vampire! How dare you say that about my mother! I never asked to be born like this! Your father did this to me, and now I'm going to kill you for it!' Angel and Dahlia realized she was serious.  
  
"Marik, Amber, grab Silver! Sage, Alex, Austin, take care of Ash!" Angel shouted. Her orders were swiftly carried out. Sage, Alex, and Austin pulled Ash away from the enraged white tiger. Amber and Marik tried to pin Silver down, but she kicked Marik before they could fully restrain her. Silver shifted back and screamed at her friends.  
  
"Let me go! He insulted my mother! He's a good-for-nothing lamia male!" Marik looked at her, and Austin and Ash looked over.  
  
"Hey! We resemble that remark!" Austin shouted back.  
  
"I'm hurt. Literally," Marik added softly. Amber let go of the now-calm Silver and sat down next to him.  
  
"You're an accident waiting to happen lately," she teased, taking his hand. They smiled at each other as Gepard gagged. Austin let go of Ash and went over to Gepard. He timidly put his hands on her shoulders. Sighing, Gepard put her hands lightly on top of his.  
  
"Aww, how cute," Marik told them as Amber moved closer to him.  
  
"Shut-up, Marik!" Gepard shot back. Ash looked from Amber to Marik and back again. A small smile was on his face  
  
"Well Amber, it looks like you recovered quickly from our relationship," he noted, nodding at Marik, who tensed up.  
  
"It was a non-physical fling that lasted two days and happened two years ago, Ash," Amber replied hotly. Ash smiled cockily.  
  
"What do you call a non-physical fling?" The next second, he was holding his face in pain and surprise. Two welts in the shape of hands were on his cheeks.  
  
"Nice reflexes, Amber," Angel congratulated as glared at Ash.  
  
"You too, Angel." Kat was looking at her friend in horror.  
  
"Amber, tell me that you're still a-" she started to say, when Amber finished the sentence for her.  
  
"Of course I'm still a maiden, Kat. Like I'd do anything with this swine." She looked disgusted at the very thought.  
  
"Hey guys, what does being a maiden mean?" Peter wanted to know. Ash arched his eyebrow at him. Silver whacked Peter.  
  
"Sorry. You'll have to forgive my friend Peter. He's human," Sage excused as he whispered something to Peter. His eyes got wide and he was going to say something stupid, but Dahlia cut him off.  
  
"Don't," was all she said. Peter stayed silent.  
  
"Listen Ash, we'd love to stay and chat. But we need to rescue Silver's mother," Skye piped up.  
  
"Yes. So if you'll excuse us, we'll be going now," Leah added, wanting to get away from him as fast as possible. Ash rolled his eyes and shook his head.  
  
"You don't get it, do you? She doesn't want to be rescued! She went willingly! If you try to "rescue" her, you'll be walking right into a trap. Circle Midnight and the Night World are ruthless. They'll kill all of you if you go there. Just forget about Silver's mother. Come join Circle Daybreak." Silver gave a slight twitch, but Skye and Lyca held her back.  
  
"Just stay away from us, Ash. You know that Circle Starlight won't disappear," Lyca said to him. Shrugging, Ash put his hands in his pockets and walked away. When he got to the edge of the woods, he stopped and turned around.  
  
"Just remember, I warned you!" he called back.  
  
"We can take care of ourselves!" Dahlia shot back. Ash gave up. Whistling softly, he disappeared into the trees. They were all very quiet for a few minutes.  
  
"Silence breaker!" Kat shouted at the top of her lungs. Amber jumped slightly, and Gepard and Austin groaned. Alex looked at Kat, one eyebrow raised.  
  
"Did you have to do that?" She just giggled.  
  
"If she didn't have to do it, she wouldn't have," Peter replied. Kat laughed at him, her giggle making a few others chuckle as well.  
  
"Sage Carter you're not," Gepard told him.  
  
"You really don't know me very well, do you?" Kat asked Peter.  
  
"She does stuff like that a lot. And it's usually without a reason," Silver added, giving her friend a hug.  
  
"Oh," was Peter's simple reply. Alex got angry and made everyone focus on their mission again.  
  
"Listen guys. If we're going to rescue Silver's mother, let's go! Otherwise I'll go back home, get some sleep, and forget this ever happened!" They all stood there staring at him.  
  
"What's the magic word?" Dahlia asked. Alex just groaned in reply. Peter tried his hand at making the group return to Angel's house.  
  
"Please?" he begged as the others sighed. Angel started walking back to her house, ignoring the human.  
  
"If you guys are so eager to rescue Silver's mother, let's move! We haven't got a lot of time!" she called back to them as they ran to join her. They knew that they were a strong group, and they had come out on top in other situations. But this was different. Could they face the Night World alone and win? 


	5. The journey to Maine, and scouting aroun...

Chapter 5  
  
They met at Angel's later that afternoon. Alex roared up on his motorcycle as Angel was assigning them to the two cars they would take. "I've got my Ferrari that will hold five people. Unfortunately, I don't have room for a lot of luggage."  
  
"I can fit eight people including myself. And we can use the truck bed for the luggage," Marik told her. Angel nodded at him.  
  
"I'll take Dahlia, Silver, Skye, and Kat. Marik, you can take everyone else. Alex, are you going on your bike?"  
  
"Yeah, but I'll need to put my stuff in Marik's truck. I can't take the chance of losing it on the long drive," he explained, unhooking his two bags of gear. He tossed them onto the truck bed.  
  
"Whatever," Marik replied. Lyca looked over at Alex, her eyes going directly to the black bike.  
  
"You take passengers?" Alex appeared startled.  
  
"Sure. You want to ride with me?" he asked, grinning at her. Her eyes lit up as she nodded. Angel smiled and went into the house. She came out a moment later with a black leather jacket and a black helmet. She tossed them both to Lyca.  
  
"You can use my jacket and helmet."  
  
"Thanks Angel. Now Alex and I will match," she replied, slipping the jacket on. Where Angel's was a plain jacket, Alex's had a cross with a rose twisted around it, the symbol of the Diablos, which used to be his gang. He had been leader of the Diablos until they had fought against Angel's group. Now all that was left of Alex's old gang was Alex. Lyca tossed her suitcases up to Amber, who stood in the back of the truck bed.  
  
"You going with Alex on his bike?" Amber asked.  
  
"Yeah. It should be fun."  
  
"Cool," she replied as Austin and Gepard handed her their stuff and climbed into the truck. Everyone was taking two suitcases. One was for clothes and other personal stuff, and the other, smaller bag was for stealth clothing and weapons. After all luggage was loaded they secured a tarp over the truck bed so nothing would fall out. Then they climbed into the vehicles and started off. Angel's black Ferrari took the lead, Marik's black pick-up followed, and Alex and Lyca on the bike brought up the rear. They rolled along for about an hour, and then Alex called everyone on the CB radio.  
  
"Guys, turn the radios to frequency six."  
  
"Alex, why did you ask for this frequency?" Angel wanted to know. She could see Marik's truck, but Alex and Lyca were hidden from view.  
  
"Angel, do you remember your defensive driving skills?" came Lyca's voice. Gripping the steering wheel, Angel looked at the four other girls with her.  
  
"Get the windows up. We've got company." Four illegally-tinted windows rolled up so that no one could see them. Dahlia contacted Marik and the others.  
  
"We've got party crashers. Darken the windows."  
  
"Got it." He pushed a button on the steering wheel, and the tinted windows slid down into place. "Hang on, everyone. We're probably going to have to out-maneuver these idiots."  
  
"Alex, can you see the car behind you?" Amber wondered as Gepard and Austin tightened their seatbelts.  
  
"Yeah, but it's only one car. A red Honda that's definitely been souped up."  
  
"How many are in it?" Angel asked, wondering why there would be only one car behind them.  
  
"I think four." Angel looked out her rear-view mirror, but Kat's shouting forced her eyes back on the road.  
  
"Ang', look out! Another car!" A red Ferrari was sitting sideways in the middle of the road. Angel waited a few more seconds, then turned the wheel hard right. Tires screeching, her car missed the other one and slipped past it. Alex passed Marik and followed Angel. The other Ferrari had just turned straight when Marik's truck roared past and sped away. The Honda picked up speed and gave chase. Peter looked out the back window and saw both cars coming full speed.  
  
"We've got to lose them somehow." Gepard turned around to face him.  
  
"What do you think we're trying to do?"  
  
"Knock it off! Think of a plan instead of getting mad," Amber told them as her eyes flashed dangerously.  
  
"We could split up," Austin volunteered. Sage shook his head.  
  
"That's much too dangerous. Especially with Alex and Lyca on the motorcycle." Leah was looking out the back window, watching the two cars.  
  
"Well, we have to do something." She saw the Ferrari gaining on them.  
  
"Angel, how far is our exit?" Alex was heard asking.  
  
"About ten miles. But there's three exits in between," Silver responded, as Angel was too busy driving to answer.  
  
"Good. I was hoping for something like that." They could all picture the wide grin on his face.  
  
"Why? What do you have in mind?" Skye asked as she gave a faint smile. Alex's plans were strange and unorthodox, but they always worked. Pulling up beside the Ferrari, Alex and Lyca raised their visors so the girls could see them. Both of them were grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"You'll see," Lyca answered as she and Alex put their visors back down.  
  
"Do you trust him?" Gepard asked, eyeing the duo on the motorcycle. Lyca was usually sensible, but Alex was just plain insane.  
  
"Do we have a choice?" Marik pointed out. He might not like him, but Alex knew how to get out of tight situations.  
  
"Well whatever we do, we better do it fast. Those cars are gaining on us," Peter broke in as he and Sage looked out the back window. The Honda was tailgating them, and the Ferrari sped past them in hot pursuit of Angel and Alex.  
  
"Alex, bogey at six o'clock! If you've got a plan, I'd use it now!" Amber shouted, grabbing the transmitter off the hook.  
  
"I agree. What do we have to do, Alex?" Angel wanted to know, keeping one eye on the road, and one eye on the car behind Alex and Lyca. She hated giving over her authority, but this time she'd deal with it.  
  
"Do you see that exit ramp up ahead, the one for Massachusetts?" Angel saw it, and also saw something else which made her smile.  
  
"Sure I see it. And I also see some guys you're about to get friendly with."  
  
"I see the bikers too. Now listen carefully to my plan. I need Kat and Skye to make with the split personalities. And make sure they get all three." Kat looked at Skye in puzzlement.  
  
"Split personalities? I don't have any of them," she argued, wondering what Alex could mean. Skye sighed and smiled at her cousin.  
  
"He wants us to do the Phantom Vehicle Spell." Kat suddenly understood. She and Skye smiled devilishly. They began chanting the spell, and an orange mist floated around the car. It flowed out until it surrounded Alex's motorcycle and Marik's truck as well. The group came to a jumble of cars and easily blended in. Alex and Lyca joined the eight bikers. The two red cars followed the pack, utterly confused. Just then, a black Ferrari, a black pick-up, and a motorcycle shot from the crowd and went up the ramp for Massachusetts. The two red cars roared after them and were soon tiny specks in the distance. Austin and Gepard settled themselves comfortably in the plush seats.  
  
"And I thought humans were stupid!" Austin quipped.  
  
"Yeah. I can't believe they fell for that trick," Gepard added.  
  
"It's a good thing they did, or we'd have to figure out another way to lose them," Sage told them point-blank.  
  
"How come you're so logical all the time?" Peter asked. Leah turned and looked at him.  
  
"Because he's an Old-Soul. And because he's just Sage," she replied, smiling at her friend, who blushed at the recognition. Gepard rolled her eyes.  
  
"Gag me." Amber looked at her, and Marik raised one eyebrow.  
  
"I'd be happy too," he assured as he and Amber smiled at each other. Marik put his hand on the middle console, and his fingers brushed Amber's. In the next second, they were holding hands. Both Gepard and Austin pretended to be sick.  
  
"Gag me again," Gepard said as Peter laughed. Amber just gave up and sighed. She was tired of arguing with Gepard about Marik.  
  
"Hey guys, was that a neat trick or what?" came Skye's voice over the radio. The Ferrari slowed, and Angel put her window down and yelled to the others.  
  
"Drop the tinting! They're gone!" Marik hit the button, and the tinting slid out of view and left clear glass. He leaned over a little and brought up a very important subject.  
  
"Angel, after our exit, can we stop for a bite? I'm getting hungry." A chorus of female voices echoed his plea in Angel's car.  
  
"Please Angel?" came Kat's high voice. Silver added her opinion as well.  
  
"Can we, Angel? I haven't eaten since last night." Skye sat quietly in the back, but nodded her head in agreement with the other two. Angel looked at Dahlia.  
  
"What do you think?" Dahlia thought for a moment before answering.  
  
"We still have a long road ahead of us, so it would be wise to stop for some nourishment in a little while."  
  
"You sound like an Old-Soul," Angel teased as she got on the CB to Marik. "What do you guys say to stopping for a quick bite?" she asked, even though she could already guess their response.  
  
"Food!" Austin and Gepard moaned. "We want food!"  
  
"I wouldn't mind a sandwich or something," Leah echoed. Sage agreed.  
  
"We need to keep up our strength." Peter nodded his head vigorously.  
  
"Where's the nearest McDonald's?" he asked innocently. At this, the car erupted in laughter. Austin and Gepard were cackling with glee, while Sage and Leah giggled. Amber started laughing, but clamped her hand over her mouth to hold it in. Marik laughed too, but kept his hands on the wheel and his eyes on the road. Peter looked very confused. "What? Was it something I said?" he asked as he started laughing too. Gepard tried to talk, but it was difficult with her laughing.  
  
"You -ha ha- you thought that -he he he- that we eat -ha ha- we eat human food?" He nodded. Leah tried to explain things to him.  
  
"Peter, witches eat regular food, but vampires and 'shifters can't get nourishment from it. They need blood and flesh to survive." He looked disgusted.  
  
"You eat road-kill?" Amber turned around and shook her head. She tried to explain it a little better.  
  
"We hunt live animals." Marik looked disgusted at the thought of eating road-kill. He'd never personally done it, but he'd heard it was gross.  
  
"We'd never eat carrion. Unless of course, it was an emergency," he added as Austin shook at the thought of being a scavenger. The disgusted look remained on Peter's face.  
  
"Why do you think Alex was on top of you at Angel's?" Gepard brought up, looking straight at him. Scary recognition drained all the color from Peter's face. He tried to talk, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came out. He shut his mouth quickly, embarrassed by his human weakness to goriness. Austin looked at him, a goofy smile on his face.  
  
"Don't you feel stupid now?" he said to Peter, whose color was slowly coming back. Peter attempted to speak again. This time, he succeeded.  
  
"You-eat-live-animals?" They all nodded.  
  
"Yes. We eat animals that are still alive," Sage clarified, totally calm. Peter licked his dry lips before speaking again.  
  
"Oh," was all he said, his voice squeaking. Amber and Gepard looked first at the Tylers, and then at each other. They both had wide grins on their faces.  
  
"Oh? What do mean, "Oh"? Is that all you can say? "Oh"? What does that mean anyway?" they shouted in unison. Then they burst out laughing. Leah and Sage looked at them oddly. Austin and Marik just rolled their eyes and sighed heavily. Peter just looked confused. A sudden voice from the CB brought them back to the matter at hand.  
  
"So are we gonna eat, or what? I never got to finish my meal at Angel's," Alex complained.  
  
"Maybe if you'd been nicer to my door, and not have tried to eat Sage's friend, you wouldn't be hungry right now," Angel replied in her don't-be- fooled-by-my-pleasant-tone-because-I'm-going-to-kill-you-soon voice. After a moment of silence, Alex spoke again.  
  
"So does that mean we can eat, or do we starve instead?"  
  
"There's a patch of woods right after our exit. Pull over then." They rode along until they saw the woods. The three vehicles pulled over, and they got out and stretched. Kat and Skye pulled out a picnic basket.  
  
"I figured that those of us who eat human food could stay here while you go hunt," Skye said as she pulled out some sandwiches and drinks. Kat lifted out a large chocolate cake with vanilla frosting. Marik and Austin became riveted by the huge dessert.  
  
"Mmmm. Cake." Amber and Gepard exchanged glances.  
  
"Later," Gepard insisted, trying to get Austin's attention.  
  
"Feed first. Eat later," Amber reminded them, gently tugging on Marik's arm. He looked at her with big, pleading eyes.  
  
"But it's chocolate cake." Amber continued to look at him.  
  
"I promise as soon as we feed, you can have your cake and eat it too." Gepard stopped trying to pull Austin away, and headed for the trees.  
  
"Where are you going?" Austin called out. He jogged to catch up with her. She merely looked at him.  
  
"I'm going hunting."  
  
"Can I come with you?" A large grin broke out on Gepard's face.  
  
"Took you long enough," she scolded, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the trees. Amber looked from Marik to the woods and back to Marik again.  
  
"All right, I'm coming," he assured as they went off together. Sage and Lyca jogged off, followed by Alex and Silver. Angel and Dahlia walked into the forest in a dignified manner. The three witches and Peter sat down to eat. Skye and Leah were looking over a large map. They all ate in silence for fifteen minutes.  
  
"How much longer until we reach Augusta?" Kat wondered, biting into her sandwich.  
  
"We should be there by eight or nine o'clock," Leah replied. Peter took a sip of water and watched as the sun turned a burnt-orange color. Looking at his watch, he saw that it read 6:12 p.m.  
  
"If we're going to make it on time, shouldn't we get the others?" The girls just looked at him.  
  
"If you can find them, then you can tell them," Kat replied. Peter looked confused.  
  
"They're Night World, Peter. They make it their business not to be seen," Skye told him, trying to make him understand.  
  
"Oh. Kind of like thieves, right?" At this, their eyes went wide. Peter looked around, and then something hit him hard upside his head.  
  
"Yeah Peter, that's it. We're international thieves. Didn't you know that Dahlia, Gepard, and Silver are cat burglars?" Angel's voice was heavy with sarcasm.  
  
"Well you can't blame the police for trying, Angel. Humans are, how you say, a few bricks short of a full load," Dahlia commented as everyone but Peter started giggling. He just looked at Angel.  
  
"So you guys really are thieves?" Angel and Dahlia sighed heavily. A voice came out of the ever-growing darkness.  
  
"Permission to kill him, oh wise leader?" Marik, Amber, Sage, Silver, Alex, and Lyca came up.  
  
"Be my guest, Alex," Angel replied. Peter gulped and backed away. Sage raised his eyebrow.  
  
"Angel?" he asked, looking from Alex to Peter and back again. Amber rolled her eyes.  
  
"She's just kidding, Sage." Angel gave a small laugh.  
  
"Not really, honey." Alex ran his tongue over his sharp canines. Sage put his hand on Peter's shoulder.  
  
"Don't worry, he won't hurt you. And no one else will either."  
  
"Sage, do you really believe that?" Austin wondered as he and Gepard joined the group.  
  
"Trust me, Sage. If Angel really wanted to, she could kill you and Peter," Marik put in as Gepard folded her arms over her chest.  
  
"So could we, Marik." Kat changed the subject to calm everyone.  
  
"Who wants cake?" she called out, cutting thick slices with a sharp knife. Marik and Austin almost dove on her, and she handed them a piece each. The others all took one piece as well. When everything was packed up, they got back in the cars and continued on their way. The rest of the drive was uneventful. A few hours later, they pulled up to a small motel.  
  
"We'll get three rooms, okay guys?" Angel said as they walked into the office. The young man behind the desk smiled as Angel led them over to him.  
  
"What can I do for you folks?" he asked, pulling out a registration book.  
  
"Well sir, we're with the London Acting Company, and they gave us some time off to explore. We need three rooms," Angel replied, using her perfect English accent. Nodding, the man took down enough keys for all of them.  
  
"You'll be in rooms six, seven, and eight. Sign here please and enjoy your stay." Angel signed the book "Claudette DeFay".  
  
"Do you need to see any ID?" Dahlia wanted to know as she and the others signed various false names. The guy looked at the book.  
  
"No, that's okay. Hey wait, you said you were English. How come your name is French?" he demanded, peering at Angel.  
  
"I'm an actress," she snapped as they went to put their stuff away. As soon as they were settled, they met in Angel's room. Kat locked and bolted the door while Silver drew the blinds closed. Marik, out of habit, checked the phone for bugs.  
  
"Hey James Bond, find anything?" Gepard asked as Marik looked at her. He put the phone down and sat next to Amber.  
  
"So now what do we do?" Skye brought up, making sure her jars, rocks, boxes, and bags were all intact. Angel already had a plan.  
  
"We send a small scout party to the house to find and analyze its defenses. Any volunteers?" Alex and Gepard stood up immediately.  
  
"I'll lead!" they said in unison as the room laughed slightly. Gepard sat down.  
  
"If he's going, I'm staying." Alex just shrugged. Lyca took off the leather jacket and then stood up. Marik also volunteered. Dahlia looked at Amber.  
  
"Aren't you going too?" Amber shrugged and then looked at Marik. She cocked her head to one side.  
  
"Do you want me around?" Marik cocked his head in the same way.  
  
"No Amber, I want you to stay here and be bored. Of course I want you to come." When Amber blushed and smiled back, Gepard moved to the edge of the bed and pretended to be sick. Angel noticed that both Amber and Marik were staring fixedly at Gepard. At the same moment they tossed their heads, and Gepard went flying off the bed. Everyone started laughing while Austin helped her up. Gepard flashed daggers at her friends, but they just walked out the door.  
  
"Did you give them the map, Skye?" Dahlia asked, watching as the foursome jogged down to the road.  
  
"Yeah, I gave it to Lyca. They'll get there fine." Sage looked doubtful.  
  
"I'm sure they'll get there okay. But what about when they come back?" Peter gulped and shuddered. No one said anything for a few moments.  
  
"Oh shut-up, Sage! You are so pessimistic!" Leah shouted at him.  
  
"Well, I just thought that-"  
  
"Don't say anything. I don't want to think about it," Kat cut him off. She shook her head, hands plastered over her ears. Austin and Gepard kept looking out the window, trying to peer through the blackness of the night. All they could see were shadows. Angel looked at her watch.  
  
"It's now 10:30 p.m. I'm kicking the boys out so we girls can gossip." She made shooing gestures at Peter. Austin and Sage got the hint and dragged Peter out the door. Kat bolted it after they left. Silver laid back on the long pillows, completely comfortable.  
  
"Why did you kick them out? We're not going to say anything they haven't heard before," she commented smiling devilishly. Angel and Dahlia exchanged glances, and then looked at the other girls.  
  
"I didn't want to see the vermin any more than I had to," Angel clarified.  
  
"Why not?" Gepard asked, as she thought Peter was pretty cool.  
  
"Because I just don't like him. And I don't want him to be in this group."  
  
"Why?" Gepard asked again, pushing it.  
  
"Because then he'd want to be in the fight, which is completely out of the question," Dahlia told her.  
  
"You do realize that Sage knows that," Leah spoke up. Angel nodded.  
  
"I'm very much aware that Sage knows." Kat looked confused.  
  
"Why does it matter if Sage knows you hate Peter?"  
  
"Because Sage wants to turn Peter into a wolf so he'll be part of the group," Leah explained as the other girls gasped.  
  
"He wouldn't!" Skye insisted.  
  
"He couldn't!" Kat added.  
  
"He'll do it," Dahlia realized as she changed into a long, flowing nightgown. Gepard stretched and looked at the clock, which read eleven p.m. Silver yawned and Kat fell onto a bed. Leah stood up and went to the door that joined the two rooms.  
  
"I don't know about you guys, but it's been a long day for me. I'm going to bed." She went into her room, and Gepard started to follow her, but stopped and faced Angel.  
  
"Angel, how come you won't let Peter be a part of the group, but you let Alex in? He was a vermin once too." Angel stared at the young 'shifter.  
  
"Because I made Alex." Shrugging, Gepard walked into her room and shut the door behind her. Skye, Silver, and Kat climbed into the bed they were going to share.  
  
"We're getting a cot tomorrow," Skye complained as she settled down to get some sleep.  
  
"Okay," Angel told her. She and Dahlia continued to talk, but sleep overtook them in the early morning hours. Angel's last thought came at 3:19 a.m. 'I wonder where the scout group is?' 


	6. The scout party returns, womanly charm, ...

1 Chapter 6  
  
It seemed like only a second later that Angel sat bolt upright, eyes wide open and head perfectly clear. She slid silently out of bed and tiptoed to the adjoining door. She opened it and made her way inside. Suddenly, she fell face first to the floor, yelling as she did so. "Woah!" she screamed, putting her hands out instinctively. They touched something warm and alive. Angel fell on top of whatever it was that was under her.  
  
"Angel?" Dahlia called out, coming to the door. Leah, Lyca, and Amber came from the other direction.  
  
"Are you okay?" Leah asked as she switched on a light. Angel got up, and the form by the door also rose up.  
  
"Is she okay?" Is she okay?" She fell on us!" Alex yelled, rubbing his shoulder where Angel's foot had kicked him. Amber knelt down beside the huddled form on the floor.  
  
"Marik, are you okay?" Angel noticed there was blood on Amber's arm, and also on Alex and Marik's clothes. Lyca had a gash on her forehead, and her shirt was in tatters. Skye, Silver, and Kat came up, followed by the other boys. Gepard stood behind Lyca, smoothing her hair and groaning.  
  
"I'd be perfectly fine if I could go one day without hurting myself more," Marik finally answered. He wiped a trickle of blood off his mouth before anyone saw.  
  
"We need to talk about what happened," Skye said quietly as the group filed into Leah, Lyca, Amber, and Gepard's room. Angel and Dahlia sat in lotus position on a small couch. Silver, Kat, Skye, and Lyca sat cross-legged on the floor. Leah, Sage, and Peter sat on chairs, while Alex perched on a table. Gepard climbed back into her bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Austin sat awkwardly next to her. Marik lay on the other bed, while Amber sat next to him, her hand on his shoulder. Gepard rolled her eyes.  
  
"Gag me with a silver-" The warning looks everyone gave her cut her off in mid-sentence.  
  
"What happened up at the house?" Austin wondered, eager to change the subject.  
  
"The defenses are the usual. We have to deal with booby traps, fences that are both electric and regular, a modern security system, armed guards, wards, and something new. They use dogs. Vampire dogs to be exact," Alex explained as everyone's eyes went wide. Lyca clarified the encounter.  
  
"The dogs themselves weren't vampires, but they had been given vampire blood. You could easily smell it on their breath. Someone isn't taking any chances with intruders." They all looked at Amber and Marik for their input. Marik just nodded, but Amber told them part of the stakeout.  
  
"We thought the trees would be safe, but those damn dogs found us and started barking. They shot into the branches and knocked us down. We had to fight off the dogs, which wasn't easy. We got out of there and walked in the woods before coming back here." Silver looked at her oddly.  
  
"And what exactly did you do in the woods?" she wanted to know, giving a sly smile. Gepard started laughing, but everyone else stayed silent.  
  
"I'm sorry. But it was so funny that Silver would think of Marik doing anything," she blurted out, regaining her self-control. Marik just sighed and looked first at Gepard, then at Silver.  
  
"If you really must know, we had a tailing party that followed us from the house. They sent out a vampire, a wolf, and a bear. They were good, but we lost them in the woods." Sage, always the skeptic, wasn't convinced.  
  
"How do you know that they didn't follow you back?" he demanded, folding his arms across his chest. Lyca and Alex exchanged quick glances, then looked at Sage.  
  
"We left them in an unconscious and bloody heap," Alex stated, looking at Sage in a So there way.  
  
"What about the vampire? He wouldn't be out for long," Austin pointed out. Lyca smiled as she recounted the battle.  
  
"Alex broke a few bones in various places in the 'shifter. I got the wolf. If you think I look bad, you should see him. He'll be surviving on liquids for days thanks to me. And don't worry about the vampire, our two pacifists took care of him. Marik hit him on the head with an oak branch and Amber tied him up with some bast cord she had." Angel and Dahlia looked at Amber, their eyebrows raised.  
  
"And just why did you have bast cord with you?" they asked in unison. Amber thought about it for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders.  
  
"The Scout motto is: Be Prepared, so I was being a good scout." Skye looked at her.  
  
"That, and you like to tie things up." She smiled at her friend, who blushed and nodded.  
  
"So now what are we going to do?" Peter asked, throwing his hands up in the air. Kat stared at him.  
  
"What do you mean "we", kimosabi?" Angel stood up and walked to Peter. She stood in front of him, hands on her hips and hair thrown back over her shoulder.  
  
"Well, I just thought that I could join you-" Peter began, shrinking away from Angel's towering figure. She leaned close to him, her face inches from his.  
  
"Well you thought wrong." Peter swallowed and tried his plea again, but found that his mouth was too dry to speak. Sage stood up for his friend.  
  
"Angel, you should let Peter come. He's a valuable asset to the team."  
  
"You'd make a good lawyer for plea-bargaining, Sage," Dahlia interrupted. She did have a good point, but Angel wasn't in the mood to listen.  
  
"Listen Sage, I don't care if he is an asset. He's not coming." Sage wouldn't back down.  
  
"Give me one good reason why. And don't say "because Angel said so". Give me real reasons." Dahlia sucked in a breath, and the others did the same. Sage was getting either very brave, or very stupid. Angel looked calmly at the wolf standing in front of her. She betrayed no sign of the anger that was within her.  
  
"Fine. You want reasons, I'll give them to you. He's a human, he's your friend, and even if you change him, he'll never be a true Night Person."  
  
"Why is it important that he's my friend?" Sage asked, not understanding. Angel sighed.  
  
"Because if he falls behind, you'll go save him. You are a good fighter and I'd hate to lose you." Peter had been thinking over the last part of Angel's argument.  
  
"But I am a true Night Person. I hang out with you guys, don't I?" Gepard started laughing hysterically.  
  
"You -ha ha ha- you think that you're -he he- that you are a -ha ha- Night Person?"  
  
"Peter, you aren't. You were grossed out when you found out what we eat," Amber added, trying to sound polite.  
  
"So?" Silver smiled evilly. Dahlia talked before Silver got too graphic.  
  
"We don't eat what the vampires do, Peter. "Shifters eat flesh, and wolves- "  
  
"Wolves eat liver!" Silver shouted as Peter turned visibly green.  
  
"You eat liver?" Lyca and Sage nodded.  
  
"It actually tastes better than it looks," Lyca assured. Peter just got greener. He went into the bathroom and closed the door.  
  
"What a wuss!" Austin chortled. Silver had a large smile plastered across her face. Skye was shaking her head, trying not to laugh.  
  
"That wasn't nice, Silver." Silver just shrugged.  
  
"Oh well." Leah looked at the alarm clock on the end-table.  
  
"It's 9:30 guys. Maybe you should go pay for the rooms now?" Angel hurriedly looked at the clock.  
  
"Are you serious? I must have overslept." Dahlia looked at her best friend.  
  
"That's not like you, Angel. Tsk, tsk, you're slipping, dear." Angel and Kat went to go pay for the rooms. The young man they'd met yesterday smiled when he saw them.  
  
"Hello ladies, it's nice to see you on such a lovely morning."  
  
"How much do we owe?" Kat asked, switching on her accent.  
  
"It's fifteen dollars a night, so you owe forty-five dollars." His gaze wandered to Angel. She watched him as he assessed her and smiled devilishly. This vermin was going to wish he'd never laid eyes on her.  
  
"I'm sorry, but in all the confusion yesterday, I forgot to make introductions. I'm Claudette, and this is Katherine."  
  
"Hi. It's ever so nice to meet you," Kat added, putting her bubbly personality to work. She shook hands with the young man.  
  
"Katherine. I was almost called Katherine when I was born." Angel smiled in pretend interest.  
  
"What's your name now?" she wondered, smiling brightly at him. He blushed at the attention.  
  
"All my friends call me Bob, but my real name is Robert," Bob replied, his blue eyes meeting Angel's green ones. She smiled a very flirtatious smile.  
  
"Well Bob, I was wondering if maybe you could show me the city tonight? I'm sure you'll make a wonderful guide," she said to him, batting her lashes. Bob swallowed and nodded, brushing a lock of sandy-brown hair out of his eyes. Kat was already at the door.  
  
"Come Claudette, the others are waiting," she called back, playing with her midnight-colored hair. Still smiling, Angel followed Kat out the door. When they were clear, they slapped a high-five.  
  
"Yeah! I still got it!" Angel cried happily. Kat looked at her as they knocked to be let in.  
  
"I didn't think you ever lost it," she stated as Lyca let them in.  
  
"What haven't you lost?" Skye asked as she looked up from her spell book.  
  
"My ability to make vermin men melt like ice," Angel replied, a smile of triumph on her face. Silver looked up from a photo she was holding.  
  
"The registration guy?" Kat just nodded. Silver put her picture down, and Angel saw what it was. It was an instant-develop photo of Silver, her mom, and her dad. It had been recently taken, because Silver was sixteen in the picture. Sighing, Silver put the picture away, preferring to suffer in silence. Dahlia, Lyca, and Alex were looking over some maps of the area. Austin was on his laptop, trying to hack his way into sealed building records. Gepard was listening to her CD player, and occasionally she would twirl around the room. Peter was eating Mylanta tablets like they were candy. Sage was talking to him in low whispers. Skye, Leah, and Kat were looking at a spell book and whispering to each other. Marik was asleep on the bed and Amber was watching him. Angel noticed that her pale face had a very grave expression on it. She sat down next to the younger girl.  
  
"Hey babes, you okay?" Amber looked at her friend and leader.  
  
"I'm worried about Marik," she said, breathing the sentence out. Angel looked at her.  
  
"When aren't you?" she teased. When Amber just looked away, Angel knew something was very wrong. Ever since her parents' deaths, Amber had grown stronger and smarter. She was Chronicler of the Circle. She documented everything, and she knew everything. But Angel also knew Amber's other side. She knew everyone's other side, except for Peter. She knew Dahlia was a recording artist and one helluva singer. She knew that Kat had come from Russia to escape persecution. Angel knew that Skye had voluntarily taken the name Eirne, and wasn't forced to like everyone thought. She knew Lyca had a wild side that had gotten her into trouble with human law. She also knew that Leah hated the stereotype of Old-Souls, but she was known for being philosophical at times. When it came to Alex, she knew that he had begged her to be made a vampire. Angel knew that Silver wanted her family to be together, despite all odds. She knew Gepard wanted to run in marathons as a cheetah, but knew that if she did, she'd be captured or killed. Angel knew about Sage and his deep admiration for Leah. A feeling that was slowly turning into a crush. She also knew about the fact that Austin wanted to be considered a fighter instead of a brain. She knew that, even though he'd never admit it, Marik cared about Amber. Angel knew Hunters had killed Amber's parents. Ever since then, Amber had grown fiercely protective of the entire group, the only real family she had left. Angel Redfern, leader of a semi-powerful Circle, knew everything about her friends. And yet, only Amber had a tiny hint about her secret longing. The longing that left her incomplete, always wanting more. A longing that spanned years and countries. Angel longed for the one thing she knew she'd never see again: A boy. But not just any boy. A boy as old as time. A boy that was older, wiser, and far more powerful than any Redfern, Drache, or Harman could ever hope to be. Angel snapped herself back to reality with all the violence of a black hole pulling in a star. She found Amber watching her, the look of worry increasing.  
  
"Are you okay, Angel? You zoned out for a moment there." Angel tried to wipe the memory away.  
  
"I'm fine. Just got carried away by my thoughts, that's all." She looked at Marik, whose steady breathing told her that he was still asleep. "Will he be okay by tonight?" Amber hesitated, not knowing what to say. She trailed her hand down the contour of Marik's face. He stirred and opened his eyes.  
  
"Hi you two. What's up?"  
  
"Would you feel like going to the mansion tonight?" Angel asked him. Marik looked confused for a moment, but then realized what she meant.  
  
"For the fight? I'll go with you guys. I promise." Amber looked at him, then at Angel. She seemed indecisive. When Marik turned his face towards hers and looked at her, she sighed and slowly nodded in agreement.  
  
"I'll be there too," she assured them, breathing the sentence out again. Angel nodded in satisfaction.  
  
"Good. We leave at six p.m. sharp." 


	7. Mission: Impossible!... Oops, wrong fic....

Chapter 7  
  
The clock read 5:30 when they changed into their stealth clothing. Angel wore a short black shirt and a straight black skirt. Dahlia put on a black sweater over her white shirt and black harem pants. Lyca and Alex both had on black jeans, black short-sleeved shirts, and their black leather jackets. Leah and Skye had on black biker shorts over black leggings. Leah pulled on a black blazer while Skye put on a black sweatshirt. Austin came out in a black sweatshirt and black sweatpants. Gepard had on black jean- overalls with a long-sleeved turtleneck. Silver had on a short skirt over a leotard. She pulled a short shirt over her head. Kat wore a pants-dress outfit. She finished buttoning the sleeves of the long-sleeved shirt that went with it. Marik had on black jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt. He put his black windbreaker on and handed Amber hers. Amber put it on over black jeans and a black short-sleeved shirt. Sage was in black jeans and a short-sleeved black and gray shirt with horizontal stripes. He put a shirt- jacket with vertical black and gray stripes over his other shirt. Peter wore black jeans with a black T-shirt. Angel surveyed the scene. "Black. Very appropriate." As they left the room, Silver was very edgy.  
  
"Why are we leaving so early?" Angel turned around and smiled.  
  
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I have to feed." The other vampires agreed. Dahlia thought for a moment.  
  
"It wouldn't hurt the rest of us to eat something either."  
  
"All right, here's what we'll do. You all have half-an-hour to feed and get your butts to the mansion. We'll meet outside the main gate at six," Angel told them as they took off. Skye, Leah, Kat, and Peter went to the local 7- Eleven to grab a quick bite. Dahlia, Silver, and Lyca went off together. Sage went in the opposite direction while Alex jogged off by himself. Austin took off into the dense undergrowth, and Gepard followed him. Amber and Marik walked off into the woods. Angel headed for the motel's front desk. Bob looked up and smiled when she came in.  
  
"Hi Claudette. I'd begun to think you'd stood me up." She gave a little half-smile.  
  
"I like to view a city close to sunset. It's a very romantic setting," she said, sidling up to him. He appeared surprised, but his ego took over.  
  
"Oh. Sure, no problem. We can go to a hill right up here. It has the most beautiful view of the Redfern mansion." Angel's interest was piqued. This was too good! He was going to give her information and a meal!  
  
"The Redfern mansion?" she asked as they started walking to the hill. Bob nodded.  
  
"It's owned by Leo Redfern. His family is like, filthy rich. This old Italian man who works for him rents a room at the motel every night. He calls Mr. Redfern a "cacciatore", whatever that is." Angel almost stopped dead. Bob had pronounced the word like a true American, but Angel and the others were fluent in many languages. She recognized the word as "hunter". They walked along in silence until they reached the hill. The setting would have been romantic if Angel had cared about Bob in that way. She saw the mansion rising out of the trees on the other side of the hill. The heavy, wrought-iron gate stood eight feet high. Barbed wire ran three rows high across the top. Armed guards with dogs patrolled the perimeter of the property. Sniper guards were almost completely hidden among the spires of the four towers that rose sharply from the roof. Bob looked at the mansion too, his hand around Angel's waist. "Creepy place, isn't it?" She looked first at where his hand was, and then she looked into his eyes.  
  
"What's with all the heavy artillery?" She silently wondered what her uncle could be up to. Bob shrugged, and his gaze went back to the house.  
  
"Some of the townspeople think that he's just an eccentric old hermit that likes his privacy. But our town psychic says he's like that because he's protecting something."  
  
"What could be so important that it needs so much security to keep people out?" Angel wondered as a sense of foreboding made her shiver. She controlled it quickly.  
  
"Madame Glenda, the psychic, says that what's in there is not only important, but also powerful," Bob said, sighing. Angel gave him a look that said Yeah right. He gave a half-hearted smile. "You don't believe me." Angel looked back at the house, as the setting sun turned its white walls red.  
  
"You have to admit, it's a pretty weak theory. Nothing in this world is that powerful." He sighed again, and then turned around to see if anyone else was within ear-shot.  
  
"I had a talk with Madame Glenda, and she told me that there's a presence in the house. She called it a bunch of names. The Others, the Visitors, the aljunnu, the faery folk, the Erlking." Angel's eyes went wide and she stumbled back a few steps.  
  
"The... Erlking?.." she asked weakly as a picture began to form in the back of her mind. She quickly struck the thought down. That did it! She was going in there and finding out what was going on. She faced Bob, hands around his waist. He was looking at her oddly.  
  
"Are you okay, Claudette?" Angel nodded, her hand moving up to caress his face.  
  
"I'd feel better if you kissed me," she replied, her lashes falling seductively to her cheeks. Bob appeared slightly surprised, but recovered quickly. He answered her in a whisper.  
  
"Your wish is my command." Then their lips met, and he was hers. Angel made sure she didn't get too passionate. She reached out to Bob's mind, calming him. When they broke apart, he was as passive as a newborn lamb.  
  
'Do it now!' Angel thought as her lips parted. Her canines extended to delicate feline points that slightly indented her lower lip. Her eyes turned a fiery blue. While Bob was still in a daze, she darted in and bit, her teeth easily piercing the skin of his throat. Angel heard him gasp slightly, and then she felt the warm blood pouring down her throat. After a few minutes, she released him. He had been so nice, and she didn't want to kill him by taking too much blood. She left him with a memory that he could enjoy, but that also left her with some dignity. When she was sure he was out, Angel took off for the mansion. She reached the gate and flung herself into a tall oak. Its branches reached out over the property to touch the roof. Angel started to relax, when a fiery-red head appeared from above her. When it receded, Angel followed it higher into the tree.  
  
"Hi Angel. What's up?" Dahlia asked in a barely audible whisper. Angel grinned at her, and then at the three other figures perched on other branches. Silver sat in a crouch, ready to spring away if trouble appeared. Lyca stood on one branch and held on to another one. Alex sat lazily on a branch across from Angel. His hair fell into his eyes, but he paid no attention. For a brief second, he looked like Ash. But only for a second.  
  
"Not much, Dahlia. Go to thought-speak," Angel replied, indicating that telepathy would be quieter, and therefore, better. They all nodded in reply. A few minutes later, Silver and Dahlia both looked towards the ground.  
  
'The witches are coming! The witches are coming!' Silver shouted silently. Skye, Kat, and Leah scrambled up the tree.  
  
"Hey ev-mmmm..." Kat started, before Dahlia clamped a hand over her mouth.  
  
'Less talk, more telepathy.' All three of them nodded.  
  
'Wasn't Peter with you?' Lyca asked. Angel groaned silently. Just as long as that vermin wasn't near her, he could be wherever he wanted.  
  
'He was with us, but Sage pulled him off to the side to talk,' Leah replied. She no sooner spoke, then Sage and Peter climbed up the tree.  
  
'Greetings all,' Sage said, realizing they were using telepathy.  
  
'Ditto,' Peter added, waving. The sun was almost down, and it was getting hard to see. Angel dilated her pupils just in time to see a cheetah come slinking down the trunk. Austin followed at a close pace.  
  
'This tree's getting a little small, don't you think?' Gepard asked as she shifted back. Austin smiled at her.  
  
'Ya think?' Gepard gave him the evil eye.  
  
'Why you little-'  
  
'Sshh! If a telepath comes by, they'll hear you!' Amber scolded as she and Marik swung up. Gepard stuck her tongue out and crossed her eyes.  
  
'If you're not careful, your face will freeze like that,' Marik told her as Amber pulled him up next to her. Gepard rolled her eyes and decided to save her comment for later. Angel looked around at her group. Darkness had come over the land, and they used their night-vision to see.  
  
'Are you guys ready?' They nodded, hearts racing and adrenaline pumping. Even Alex was alert and ready. The sense of foreboding was still with Angel, but she shook it off. "Let's do it," she said out loud. A moment later, they all moved. Leaping onto the sloping roof, they moved silently across the top of the house.  
  
'They shouldn't let trees grow so close to the house,' Alex pointed out, shaking his head. Angel kept her eyes on the towers, watching for snipers.  
  
'Stay alert. There are snipers up here,' Lyca put in as they reached a skylight. Austin was about to pry it open, but Amber stopped him.  
  
'What?' he asked, looking annoyed. She pointed to a thick, black cable running around the skylight.  
  
'It's an electricity cable. You can hear it crackle.' Gepard and Austin used a rubber-covered crowbar to pry the cable up. While they were working, Marik sent a message to Amber only.  
  
'You just couldn't let him get electrocuted, could you?' She just shook her head, and they both smiled. Meanwhile, Gepard and Austin had pried up the cable and were about to open the skylight, when Skye and Kat suddenly froze and grabbed them.  
  
'Now what?' Austin demanded, getting even more annoyed. Skye softly recited an incantation, and an orange circle of energy appeared. It wavered occasionally, but it was a perimeter guard none the less.  
  
'What is that?' Peter asked, pointing to the energy circle.  
  
'That is a ward. It's a barrier of witch energy that's meant to keep people out,' Skye replied.  
  
'Can we disarm it or get around it somehow?' Alex wanted to know, looking first at Kat, and then at Skye.  
  
'It's very weak, so we might be able to raise it up,' Kat said as Skye nodded. Both of them closed their eyes and concentrated. Slowly, the orange circle of energy rose into the air. When it was four feet off the ground, Angel had Austin open the window. When he was safely inside, the others scrambled in after him. Kat and Skye gently put the ward back in place after they were inside. Alex shut the skylight behind him.  
  
'Now what?' Skye wondered as she sat on the heavy, wooden beams that supported the ceiling. Angel surveyed the scene. They were in a large banquet hall forty feet long. The ceiling was twenty feet high. Four doors led out of the room and to other parts of the house.  
  
'We'll split up. Dahlia and Leah, follow Skye, Silver, and Kat. Split up when you reach the hallway. Alex and Lyca can go upstairs and left. Sage, take Peter upstairs and right. Austin and Gepard, go downstairs one flight and go right. Amber, you and Marik go down one flight and left.' Everyone except Amber, Marik, and Angel climbed down and went their separate ways. Angel looked at Amber, wondering why she and Marik hadn't left yet. 'What's wrong?'  
  
'Where are you going?' Marik asked, staring at her.  
  
'The basement.' They both looked puzzled.  
  
'Why?' they asked in unison. Angel sighed.  
  
'Because I think he's here.' She saw their already dilated eyes widen in surprise.  
  
'He? You mean...' Amber said, breaking off. She didn't want to get Angel's hopes up. Angel nodded in reply. Amber began to climb down and Marik followed her. They paused for a moment at the door. Angel made shooing gestures at her friends. They scurried out the door in a flash. Angel caught their conversation as the door closed behind them.  
  
'Who's here?' Marik asked Amber.  
  
'I'll tell you later,' was Amber's reply, and then they were gone. Angel climbed down and went out the last door. She had visited the house only once, but its layout was etched in her memory. She found the basement stairs and crept down cautiously, wondering where the guards were.  
  
'Don't think about that now. Worry about finding that door.' The stairs opened into a small passageway. A steady drip! drip! came from everywhere. Angel shivered. Not from the physical cold of course, but because that sense of foreboding was stronger. The hallway ended abruptly. Two guards stood outside a wooden door. Peering closer, Angel saw a symbol, a slanted X, carved on the door.  
  
'This is it!' Reaching for a throwing star, she prayed to Ishtar that those guards were human. Bringing her arm back, she launched the pointed piece of metal at the nearest guard. It hit him in the temple before he could move. Gasping, he fell to the floor and died in seconds. The other guard drew his pistol, but Angel sent a wooden stake through his bullet-proof vest. Bending over him, Angel removed the keys from the ring on his waist. Looking over, she noted that the stake had gone directly through his heart. "They should put labels on those things. Warning: This product does not repel sharp, wooden stakes. Stupid vermin." The key clicked in the lock. Angel threw the door open...  
  
And nothing happened. She looked inside the pitch-black room. A torch hung in a bracket on the wall, and she used a flame spell to light it. Its glow cast eerie shadows on the wall. Angel heard the rattle of chains and turned sharply. She picked up the torch in one hand and carried the key-ring in the other. Moving the light ahead of her, she looked around the cell. Suddenly, her heart gave a lurch. The flame had shown her a figure. A figure with pale skin and moonlight-colored hair. The figure raised his head and Angel was staring into fathomless eyes. Eyes that were an indescribable color of blue. They smiled at each other, and Angel almost dropped the torch. He spoke in a hoarse whisper.  
  
"My angel, I was wondering when you'd come." he attempted to stretch his chained hand towards her. She moved to him and took his cold hand in hers.  
  
"Hello Julian," she replied as tears formed in her eyes. 


	8. Julian starts a Game. Oh goodie!

1 Chapter 8  
  
"What took you so long?" Julian asked her, a grin on his face.  
  
"It's only been ten years. That's nothing to an immortal Shadow Man," She undid the locks that held him in the chains, and saw the slanted X carved on the shackles as well. He rubbed his wrists when she had freed him.  
  
"But I had to spend those years without you," he replied, turning her face up to his. She looked into his eyes, and almost lost herself. She saw how dusty he was, and how rumpled his clothes were. He was still wearing the same black jeans, black shirt, and black duster jacket he had been wearing that last day. Angel suddenly shuddered as she remembered the events of that sad day. Julian had been teaching her how to train the Lurker, his Shadow Wolf. Both of them had been happy. Angel's parents thought nothing was wrong with the friendship that their seven year-old daughter had with the youngest Shadow Man. But Angel knew her uncle had a problem with her being so close to "all that power".  
  
"You shouldn't let Angel get so attached to him," he had told her parents.  
  
"We see nothing wrong with their friendship. They are both people with feelings. Let them be," her father had told his cousin. Her mother had agreed.  
  
"You worry about your daughters, and we'll worry about our Angel." Muttering, Leo had stalked off. Later, he had called Angel aside.  
  
"Do you want to see a secret place?" he had asked. Angel had nodded in childish delight. "Good. Meet me in the basement. In the cell with the big wooden door." Angel had trusted him then, so she went. He had been standing there, waiting for her to arrive. "Do you want to see the secret place?" he had asked again when she got there. Angel had nodded again.  
  
"Oh yes, Uncle. I want to see it." Angel remembered his evil smile, and how it got even more evil when he pressed the stake to her heart. Screaming, she had yelled for the only person who would hear her. "Julian! Julian, help me!" He had appeared to help her, but Leo had been ready. When Julian reached for Angel, a shackle was put on his wrist. Then another shackle on his other wrist. Angel saw the rune of containment, Nauthiz, emblazoned with red blood on the chains. Then Leo had flung her outside and charged the door to contain Julian. Her parents had been told to leave and never come back. That was ten years ago, and now her parents were dead. Angel could stand it no longer. She hugged Julian and cried softly into his shoulder. Angel Amethyst Redfern rarely cried, but when she did, it was for a good reason. Julian held her, stroking her hair the way he used to do when she was upset. Angel put a lid on her emotions.  
  
"We have to help the others find Silver's mother. She's here somewhere."  
  
"While we're here, let's play a little Game with Uncle Leo. A Hunting Game," he suggested, a devilish smile lighting up his face. Angel sighed. Good old Julian! He always had such fun ideas.  
  
"Let's go." His voice followed her as she went upstairs.  
  
"But isn't shadow hopping easier than running?"  
  
"How about this. You tell Uncle about the Game, and I'll go find my friends. He'll have the whole household on us, so I need to even things up a little."  
  
"Couldn't have said it better myself. See you at nine..." he replied as his voice faded. Angel reached the landing and looked around. The main staircase was up ahead. Suddenly, a whole group of people came running down. Alex and Lyca came from the left, followed by a few guards. Their group almost collided with Sage and Peter, who were out-running a few more guards. A cheetah came shooting up the stairs, knocking Angel down. Austin stopped to help her up.  
  
"What's going on here?" Angel asked, totally confused. Gepard had thrown herself at the nearest guard, and other guards had come from outside. A few wolves jumped into the knot of fighting, but it wasn't Sage or Lyca. Suddenly, two tigers and a fireball came streaking in, followed by Skye, Leah, and Kat. Austin shrugged and looked at the scene.  
  
"I'm not sure. We heard screaming and came running up," he replied, his body language telling Angel he wanted to be in the fight instead of talking about it. She let him go. Amber and Marik came charging up the stairs, stopping when they saw the turmoil. Amber was even more surprised when Julian stepped from the shadows. She turned to look at Angel.  
  
"I see you found him." Angel looked over at Julian. A slow smile spread across her face.  
  
"It certainly looks that way." The look of satisfaction on Julian's face told her the Game was on. Whether it was by choice or by force, it didn't matter. Leo Redfern was going to lose, that's what mattered. Marik was grinning and shaking his head.  
  
"Don't introduce him to Silver. She'll only be mad that he actually does exist," he pointed out. Amber nodded in agreement.  
  
"But now what do we do? The others are fighting and we're over here," she brought up. Julian thought for a moment and then waved his hand over his face, more for show than for purpose. He now looked exactly like Leo Redfern. He stepped into view, and his booming voice stopped the melee on the floor.  
  
"The intruders have us surrounded. Retreat and regroup!" Following orders, the guards grabbed their weapons and hobbled off. As they did so, the grandfather clock in the hall chimed the hour of nine. Julian, in his true form, motioned for the others to come closer. They all came and stood near Angel, awaiting her orders. Gepard looked at Julian.  
  
"I don't trust him. Who is he? Where'd he come from? And why is Angel looking at him like that?" she asked Austin.  
  
"How is Angel looking at him?" he whispered back, never one to easily pick up emotions. Gepard rolled her eyes and pointed.  
  
"Like he's a god, or something. Look at her! You'd think she liked him, or something," she replied, her words coming out in a hissing whisper.  
  
Amber came up unseen behind them. Her voice made them both jump.  
  
"She does like him. If you'd been paying attention, you'd also know that his name is Julian." Gepard defended herself.  
  
"I pay attention. Just not to unimportant details like Angel's love life." Just then, Marik came up next to Amber.  
  
"You girls can argue about group gossip later. Right now we need to come up with a plan of attack before those guards come back." Sage nodded his approval.  
  
"That's the first logical idea I've heard all day." Everyone groaned, and Leah put her hand on Sage's shoulder.  
  
"Sage, you're being overbearing again. You promised you'd stop."  
  
"I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Alex was getting impatient.  
  
"So what's this great plan you have?" he demanded, shouting for everyone's attention. Fingers to lips shushed him almost immediately.  
  
"Julian started a Hunting Game with my uncle. In order to win the Game we need to rescue Silver's mother and get out of here alive," Angel stated simply. The others stared stupidly at her. Turning to Julian, Gepard asked him a question that had been on her mind.  
  
"A hunting game? Are you a vampire, or something?" After her question had registered, Angel broke out in her ringing laughter. Dahlia, who knew that Angel talked in her sleep, filled them all in with the basic information.  
  
"Not exactly, honey. He's a Shadow Man. It's like the Sand Man, but he brings nightmares instead of dreams." Most of them looked extremely confused.  
  
"Yeah, okay, whatever," Gepard said slowly, indicating she didn't care. Lyca broke in with a reminder of the situation.  
  
"Listen everyone, we can debate life histories later. Right now we have to find Ms. Virgata, win this Game, and survive the night." Silver and Kat looked at Sage, expecting a comment. He put his hands up in mock defense.  
  
"I'm being good! I didn't say anything!" Angel had long since stopped laughing, and they could see the wheels turning in her head.  
  
"I have a plan-"  
  
"Well it's about time!" Peter interrupted. Silver, Kat, and Skye all hit him.  
  
"As I was saying, I have a plan to find Silver's mother and win this Game. We'll split up into groups. Sage, Peter, Leah, and Kat, go down this hallway to the right. Dahlia, Silver, Skye, and Lyca, go the other way. Alex, go with them. Gepard and Austin, go with... Go with Sage's group. Amber and Marik, I guess you two are coming with us," Angel continued, assigning the groups as she saw fit. Amber looked hesitant.  
  
"Are you sure you want us around? Because I mean, we can just go off by ourselves and... And...Oh, all right. We're coming," she finished as Angel gave her a look that said Just do it and shut-up.  
  
"Our first priority is to find Silver's mother. When you do, use telepathy to contact the rest of us. Get Ms. Virgata out of the house, because she could be hurt if there's a fight," Angel told them.  
  
"So could we," Austin whispered to Gepard, who nodded. Angel looked at them menacingly for a moment. When they were quiet, she continued.  
  
"Once Silver's mother is safe, we concentrate on winning this Game." Kat raised her hand.  
  
"But how do you win the Game?" Julian answered her question.  
  
"This is a Hunting Game. We're hunting Angel's uncle and his guards while they hunt us in the meantime. I would advise you to be careful."  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for? You have your instructions, now go!" Ange shouted as they all scattered. Amber looked around, all her senses on full alert. Marik put his hand on her arm, and she held on to it. Angel sighed heavily. "We'd better get going." Their little group walked up the richly decorated staircase. Ivory banisters ran down the length of the stairs to end in small marble statues of robed druids. Marik looked all around, watching for guards.  
  
"What happens if we meet a few trigger-happy humans?"  
  
"We'll take them down fast," Amber said simply, not wanting to think about it. Angel paused before giving her answer.  
  
"Just pray they don't have wooden bullets, Marik." Both he and Amber shivered slightly as they continued walking up the stairs. 


	9. The servant-girl bares all...

1 Chapter 9  
  
"There must be at least forty doors up here," Amber whined as she surveyed the second floor. A long hallway stretched before them. Every five feet was another door. Marik groaned and leaned against the wall.  
  
"And we have to open every one of them, right?" Angel nodded.  
  
"Doesn't it bring back fond memories of your old house, Julian." He stiffened and turned to face her.  
  
"I thought we agreed that you wouldn't bring up anything connected with Jenny Th... With her." Amber closed the door she had opened and faced Angel and Julian. Marik looked puzzled.  
  
"Who's Jenny?" Julian waved the question away.  
  
"It's a long story," he replied as Angel sighed. Amber put her hands on her hips and stared at him.  
  
"And we want to hear it." Marik nodded in agreement. When Angel just looked at him, Julian gave in.  
  
"Before I met Angel, I was in love with a human girl named Jenny Thorton. I lost a Game to her, but she kept coming back. I asked the other Shadow Men to help me get rid of my stalker. With their help, I faked my own death. A couple of months later, I met Angel. And now you know everything," he said.  
  
"How come you lost to her?" Marik wondered, getting intrigued. Julian considered how he might best answer that question, and then waved his hand in the air. A picture materialized out of thin air, and hung in suspended animation. The picture was of two people. One was a seventeen year-old girl. She had fluffy, sunshine-blonde hair that reached just below her shoulder blades. Her green eyes had a gold tint to them that accented her bright smile. Standing behind her was a guy her age. He was tall and athletic-looking. His mop of light-brown hair went perfectly with his chocolate-brown eyes. Amber and Marik studied the picture as Julian talked about it.  
  
"That happy butterfly is Jenny. The boy behind her is Tom Locke, her boyfriend. Jenny loved Tom, and would do anything to get him back. I won the first Game, but Jenny cheated and escaped from the Game. When she cheated, I "lost" the Game. Then she and her friends kept getting in my way. They wanted me to take my ring off Jenny. My binding ring that I had first put on her."  
  
"What did the ring say that made it binding?" Amber asked, twisting her own ruby-and-gold ring. Julian hung his head and sighed before continuing.  
  
"She and I made a binding promise. I put the ring on her, and we sealed the bargain with a kiss. The ring didn't say much, just seven words: All I refuse & thee I chuse. And now you know everything." Angel could feel Marik and Amber's shock. Those six words were one of the most powerful binding spells. And to seal it with a kiss meant you agreed! Angel shook her head. Humans were so dumb!  
  
"So she gave everything you offered to her up, to save a human boy?" Marik asked, looking puzzled again. "Why would she do that?" Julian looked ready to say something, but closed his mouth instead. Amber put her hand on Marik's shoulder and he turned to face her.  
  
"I can explain it in two words, Marik. Stupid vermin." They all smiled. Angel was going to suggest moving on, when a faint voice stopped her.  
  
'Angel, the cat is out of the bag. We sent her to our humble abode for now,' Dahlia said, contacting everyone telepathically.  
  
'Great. Now what?' Gepard asked with her usual impatience.  
  
'Now we win this game,' came Alex's voice.  
  
'You heard him, everyone. And remember: Not only does it matter whether we win or lose, but if we survive the night,' Angel told them. When her orders were given, she faced the other three in her group. "Okay guys, you heard the news. Now all we have to do is find my uncle. Start opening these doors. But do it carefully. I don't want anything popping out into the hall." Amber and Marik took turns opening the doors. One of them would turn the knob and ease the door open a crack, while the other one would cautiously peer inside. Julian and Angel took the other side of the hall. Julian would slowly open the door, while Angel stood in defense position in case anything popped out at them. In a little while, all the doors but one had been opened. The lone door was set into a dead-end wall like an oaken guard. Angel stepped back and let Amber ease open the door. Marik peered in, but then flattened himself against the wall.  
  
"There's someone in there," he whispered, drawing a stick-like weapon that was half-wood and half-silver. Amber's double-bladed hunting knife was extracted from its holder. She and Marik chose the silver blades and threw open the door. The figure in the room let out a shrill scream as the two teen vampires tackled her. With lightning speed, Amber pinned the girl's arms to her sides and tied them. Marik kept the point of his weapon directly level with their prisoner's heart. When the girl was immobilized, Amber stood up and went behind Marik. Angel came up and looked at the struggling form.  
  
"We want some information. And you're going to give it to us."  
  
"Like hell I will!" the girl replied furiously, trying to escape her bonds.  
  
"That can be arranged, you know," Julian told her. The girl stopped struggling and looked at them.  
  
"What is that supposed...To...Mean?.." she asked as her voice faded. Angel's eyes were like green fire, and her lips were a deep red. Her face grew even prettier, as did Amber's. Amber's ice-blue eyes were now only ice, and her red mouth contrasted sharply with her pale skin. Marik's chiseled features became clearer, and his gray eyes had a silver sheen to them. But what most startled their young captive was their teeth. Their canines extended into delicate needle-like points that slightly indented their lower lips. And all the while, Julian just kept smiling. "You're...You're..." She couldn't get the words past the lump in her throat. Marik rolled his eyes.  
  
"We're vampires." The girl hung her head.  
  
"My name is Mandy. I'll tell you whatever you want to know." As their teeth retracted, Angel, Amber, and Marik smiled at each other. Finally they were getting somewhere!  
  
"Where is Leo Redfern hiding?" Angel demanded. Mandy appeared startled.  
  
"What do you want with Mr. Redfern?" Angel looked at her.  
  
"Let's just say we have some unfinished family business to discuss." Mandy swallowed and nodded.  
  
"He went to hide downstairs in the Ball Room. If you hurry, you'll be able to catch him." Springing to their feet, they left Mandy still tied in the room. Angel contacted the other groups.  
  
'Get to the Ball Room on the main floor. Our quarry is there. But watch yourselves. It could be a trap.'  
  
'You got it, Boss,' Dahlia answered.  
  
'We're on our way,' Austin added. Angel and her group sprinted down the staircase. At the door to the Ball Room, she paused.  
  
"What's wrong, Angel?" Amber asked, looking from her friend to the door and back again.  
  
"Nothing. I just have a really bad feeling that we're walking into a trap." Marik jerked his thumb at Julian.  
  
"Why don't you ask our resident Game Master what's going on. He should know if we're heading for trouble." When both girls looked at him, Julian shook his head slightly.  
  
"Sorry ladies, but this time, I'm a player in the Game too." Amber and Angel looked at each other.  
  
"Why are you playing?" Amber wondered, puzzled by this turn of events. Julian smiled a toothy grin at her. His unknown-blue eyes flashed.  
  
"Does the word "revenge" mean anything to you?" Amber's face registered her reaction. Her expression could be read as Oh. Okay. Angel took this moment to turn the knob. The door glided open on well-oiled hinges. They all held their breath and then stepped into the room. From across the three-hundred square feet of polished oak floor they saw the other two groups. Padding quickly across the room they met on the side so that the shadows concealed them.  
  
"Why are we here?" Gepard wanted to know, nervously looking around.  
  
"We're here because Angel told us to be here," Leah said to her.  
  
"Thank you little-miss-logic," Alex sarcastically quipped. Angel waved for silence.  
  
"We're here because we found a servant girl who told us that we'd find my uncle here."  
  
"Well, your informer goofed. Nobody's in here but- What was that?" Austin asked as a creaking door alerted them to someone else's presence in the room. They were all silent until a voice came from across the lighted room.  
  
"Oh, their informer didn't goof. Mr. Redfern is here, but I forgot to mention the hidden panels in the walls." Mandy stepped from the shadows, holding a weapon in her hands. Suddenly, there was a rush of guards on all sides of the group but one. There was only one way out, and that was onto the dance floor. Going against every hunter's instinct to stay in shadow, they made for the floor. They stayed tight, knowing that was their only hope. Mandy came up in front of them. Her short, auburn hair bounced around her shoulders, while her muddy-brown eyes tried to pick a target. Her fingers tightened around the trigger of the crossbow she held. A quiver of arrows was on her back, and each one had a silver tip and a wooden shaft. "Make one wrong move, please," she teases, an evil smile on her lips. A tall figure came up behind her. He had red hair that matched his flaming temper. His eyes kept changing color depending on the way the light hit them.  
  
"Hello, sweet niece. Back to rescue your boyfriend? It looks like you're going to need rescuing." Angel glared at him.  
  
"You're going to let your servants do your dirty work for you? That's pretty pathetic, even for you." As her comment sunk in, Leo's face turned the same color as his hair. Mandy's eyes flashed pure hate at Angel.  
  
"I don't care if you are family! No one talks that way to Mr. Redfern! Take this, you Daybreaker trash!" she yelled as she fired an arrow. The arrow went straight and true to its target, but Angel wasn't hit. Marik screamed as the arrow lodged below his diaphragm. He fell to the floor, eyes shut tight against the pain. "MARIK!" Amber yelled, bending down to him. She cradled him in her arms as best she could. "No. No. No. No." Marik opened his eyes and looked at her.  
  
"Up and left," he said, drawing in a painful breath.  
  
"What?" Amber asked, looking confused. Marik had a small smile on his face as he coughed weakly.  
  
"I said "up and left". If she wanted to hit my heart, she needed to shoot up and left," he replied, trying to laugh through the haze of pain. Amber either looked like she was going to cry- or kill him.  
  
"You big idiot, you were just shot! How can you still tease me?" He shrugged and looked at her, still smiling. Mandy's harsh voice brought them all back to reality.  
  
"You Daybreakers make me sick! Get up and fight, you little pansy!" she yelled at Amber. At this, the whole group took offense. Dahlia and Silver shifted into their tiger forms while Gepard changed into a cheetah. All three cats were hissing, their fur raised to its full height. Sage and Lyca shifted into two mean-looking wolves. They were growling, and their fur stood up on end. The three witches curled their hands into fists, getting into defense positions. Peter stepped back into a fighting stance, ready to defend himself and the others. Angel hissed at Mandy, sounding exactly like the three cats. Austin and Alex hissed as well, but they sounded more reptilian. Amber stood up, her gaze focused on Mandy.  
  
"You bitch! You're going to regret hurting him." Mandy hissed at her, a strangely cat-like sound. Suddenly, her eyes were filled with a strange light. Then the fangs came. Delicate canines erupted from her regular teeth and made slight indents in her lower lip. Amber was momentarily startled, but quickly regained her composure. She hissed back at Mandy, a pure cat hiss that only female vampires could do. Amber's eyes had long since turned to ice, but now they shone with a blue fire in them. Her fangs grew down and stopped at her lower lip.  
  
"I don't care if we're both vampires. I'm still going to take you out," Mandy threatened, talking easily around the fangs. Amber smiled evilly.  
  
"Take your best shot, vermin." Mandy waited a moment, and then leaped. Amber met her attack, and the fight was on. 


	10. Bitch fight, squishing frogs, and the Ga...

1 Chapter 10  
  
Because Amber was in the martial arts she knew how to block and execute a flying attack. The heel of her palm caught Mandy under the chin. At the same time, Amber drove a double-kick to her ribs. A small crack! indicated that Mandy was now minus a couple of ribs. Mandy fell to the floor in a heap and Amber landed on her feet in defense position. Suddenly, Mandy's leg shot out and swiped Amber off her feet. As soon as Amber hit the floor, Mandy sprang to her feet. She drove a punch to Amber's face, but the more experienced girl blocked it and threw Mandy across the room. Mandy lay stunned for a moment, but then Leo helped her up.  
  
"Are you all right, my dear?" She smiled at him as her fangs retracted. Amber, sensing the fight was over, retracted her fangs as well.  
  
"Does this answer your question?" Mandy asked in reply, wrapping her arms around him. While Angel, Amber, and the others watched in disgust, the two figures kissed deeply. Gepard gagged.  
  
"I'm going to be sick!"  
  
"Does she know how old he really is?" Angel asked.  
  
"If she did, she wouldn't be doing that," Skye pointed out. Finally the two vampires broke apart. Leo turned to his guards.  
  
"Surround that group over there. If they try anything, stake the wounded one." His orders were swiftly carried out. The guards surrounded Angel and the others while Amber could only watch. Most of the guards had guns, but a few held crossbows, and some even had stakes. Two guards stood over Marik, both with stakes in their hands. He and Amber locked eyes, both of them afraid for the other one. Mandy smiled evilly and moved over to Marik, shooing the guards away. She held a stake over his heart and looked at Amber.  
  
"Say goodbye to your boyfriend, Daybreaker." She brought the stake down. Amber screamed and covered her eyes. Just then Marik's hands shot up and wrenched the stake from Mandy's grasp. He hissed at her, sounding like a threatened snake. With a shriek, Mandy was thrown into a wall. Marik was on all fours, breathing heavily and looking at her. His eyes flashed threateningly.  
  
"Never underestimate the recuperative powers of a lamia." While the guards were distracted, Angel and the others dove and knocked them flat. A few well-placed pressure point hits and the guards were rendered immobile. By this time, Leo was positively fuming.  
  
"I can't believe my entire household has been beaten by teenagers!" Mandy scrambled to her feet while Amber went to Marik. Angel stepped forward  
  
"We've won, Uncle. Now you must pay for what you've done."  
  
"You may have won, Angel. But if I'm to die, then so will you!" he screamed, taking a pistol from his pocket. He fired a single bullet, and Angel only had time to see what it was. An iron-tipped, wooden bullet. She didn't have enough time to get away. But she didn't need to worry. Julian stepped up next to her and caught the bullet in his hand. He crumbled it into dust.  
  
"That wasn't nice. In fact, that was cheating."  
  
"And what are you going to do about it, you... Little toad?" Mandy demanded, clinging to Leo's waist. Julian just smiled at both of them.  
  
"A toad, madam? Perhaps it is you who are the toad." Energy surged from his fingers, enveloping Leo and Mandy. They screamed once, and then the energy cloud receded.  
  
"They're frogs!" Lyca realized, pointing to the two small amphibians.  
  
"Actually Lyca, I think they're toads," Austin pointed out. Angel looked at the helpless, tiny, green animals, her eyes wide.  
  
"Um guys, I have a confession to make. I really don't like toads. In fact, if I see one, I have to kill it."  
  
"Where's a frying pan when you need one?" Peter wanted to know, speaking for the first time since entering the house. Julian reached behind his back and produced two metal frying pans. He handed one to Marik and one to Angel.  
  
"Wait!" Silver yelled. Angel looked at her.  
  
"What's wrong?" Silver pointed to the toad that was Leo.  
  
"You can't kill him-"  
  
"Why can't she?" Kat demanded, arms folded across her chest. Silver looked daggers at her friend and stamped her foot.  
  
"I'm not done yet!" Kat shrank away from her.  
  
"So finish!" Alex yelled impatiently. Silver took a deep breath and continued.  
  
"You can't kill him by yourself. I want to help." Everyone stared at her, including the two toads.  
  
"But he's your father," Leah said softly, not believing what she was hearing.  
  
"He wasn't much of one." Alex pointed to the toad that was Mandy.  
  
"Besides, not only did he cheat on his wife with Silver's mother, but he cheated on Ms. Virgata with... That!" The Mandy-toad looked at him.  
  
"Ribbit!" The Leo-toad started to hop away towards the door, but Angel grabbed him firmly.  
  
"Oh no you don't, dear Uncle. It's time to meet oblivion," she told him, smiling all too sweetly.  
  
"Ribbit?" he asked weakly as Angel put him down. She and Silver grabbed the frying pan handle.  
  
"On the count of ten," Silver said as they raised the pan.  
  
"One... Two... Ten!" they yelled as the pan came down in an iron blur.  
  
"Rib-" SQUISH! went Leo Redfern, as he tried to get away. Mandy's eyes went wide, but Amber and Marik brought the pan up anyway.  
  
"And by the way vermin, we're not from Circle Daybreak. We're from Circle Starlight," Amber said to the toad. Quick as lightning, the pan came down. SQUISH! went Mandy.  
  
"And damn proud of it too," Marik added. Peter lifted up one of the frying pans, but quickly put it back down. He turned a bright shade of green.  
  
"Anyone for frogs' legs?" Dahlia asked as the others groaned and sent her many black looks.  
  
"It's more like puree of toad," Sage pointed out. Peter got greener. Alex came up and slapped Peter on the back.  
  
"So what's your decision, vermin? You going to become a wolf or a vampire?" Peter looked at everyone before answering  
  
"Neither." When the others looked questioningly at him, he offered his explanation. "Most of you were born into the Night World. You do things I'd never even dream of doing. Mandy got turned into a vampire, and look what happened to her." Amber tilted her head and looked at Peter in her strange way.  
  
"But Mandy was different, Peter. You're on our side. She wasn't." Angel gave Amber a look that clearly said Don't encourage him. But Peter knew exactly what he wanted.  
  
"That's okay, Amber. I'm very happy being a plain, ordinary-"  
  
"Vermin?" Angel broke in. Peter looked at her, a faint smile showing.  
  
"Human, vermin, whatever turns you on." Alex decided to interrupt everyone's happy banter.  
  
"So tell me, have we won?" Angel looked at Julian, a large smile slowly spreading across her face.  
  
"Have we, Julian?" Julian smiled back at her.  
  
"Yes Angel, we've won." The others waited a few minutes to register his words, then burst into cheers of joy. 


	11. Eternity....

1.1 Epilogue  
  
"So now that we've won, what do we do next?" Lyca wondered when everyone had calmed down a little. Amber steadied Marik while he broke the arrow, leaving the silver tip lodged in his body. Silver found a phone and called her mother at the motel.  
  
"My mom's okay. She's been talking to Bob." Angel nodded her head, pointedly ignoring the inquisitive look that Julian gave her.  
  
"Speaking of the phone, I should give Bunny a call. You know, tell her what's been going on," Leah chimed in.  
  
"Boy, is she going to be surprised," Skye quipped as she went with Leah. Lyca looked around at the others.  
  
"You still haven't answered my question."  
  
"We could have a celebration dance," Julian suggested. Alex looked at him.  
  
"A dance? That's a stupid idea." Gepard nodded in agreement.  
  
"Yeah. And besides, we don't have any music." Julian smiled slyly and then snapped his fingers. Suddenly the room was filled with orchestra music. A small ensemble of musicians was down at the far end. Julian bowed to Angel.  
  
"May I have this dance?"  
  
"Of cawse you can, sugah." He commenced to twirl her onto the floor.  
  
"Oh sure. Angel gets him and we get diddly," Silver whispered to Kat, clearly annoyed. The witch shushed her. Julian looked over at the group.  
  
"The natives are getting restless." Angel just stared at him.  
  
"So?" Julian waved his hand at the door and moments later two figures entered through it. One of them had perfect, brown hair that fell in a shock across his forehead. His blue-green eyes were very serious. He was rail-thin, and this was made apparent by his extreme tallness. The other boy wasn't as tall, but he was just as handsome. He had black, fathomless eyes that looked ghostly. His hair went from dark-brown to black, depending on how he moved. Both of the boys were well muscled, which wasn't too surprising considering they were both vampires. The first boy looked around, a puzzled expression on his face. Silver walked up to him, a shy smile on her face.  
  
"Hey Gary, you want to dance?" He smiled back at her.  
  
"Sure Silver, why not?" They spun onto the dance floor. Kat blushed as the other boy made his way over to her.  
  
"Dance with me, Kat?"  
  
"Sure Quinn, whatever you say." At this point Leah and Skye came back in, Leah smiling brightly. Sage cleared his throat and walked up to her.  
  
"How did things go with Bunny?"  
  
"She's a little shocked, but I told her to go see Rowan and her sisters for the full in-depth explanation. She's going over there as we speak." Sage nodded, dragging his foot back and forth in front of him.  
  
"That's great. Um Leah, would you care to um, to uh... To dance?" Leah nodded and led him onto the floor. Dahlia sighed and shook her head.  
  
"He's been through countless lives and he still has trouble asking a girl to dance." Gepard was tired of watching everyone else, so she grabbed Austin and headed for the floor.  
  
"You're dancing with me." He looked first at her, then at her hand on his arm.  
  
"Do I have a choice?" he asked out loud.  
  
"Nope." He sighed and then they began to awkwardly dance. Marik laughed at his little brother, but then saw the wistful look in Amber's eyes.  
  
"I guess you want to dance too?" When she blushed and nodded, he took her hand and led her onto the floor. Dahlia, Skye, Lyca, Alex, and Peter watched from the side. They were content just to be spectators. Angel was watching the other couples, when suddenly she was watching them from the air! Julian had suspended himself and her in a large bubble. They continued to dance in the bubble. All of a sudden Kat looked up at them, a devilish smile on her face.  
  
"Pop the bubble!" she called out, beginning to giggle.  
  
"Katarina Amethyst Vatavich, you pop this bubble and you'll be sorry!" Angel yelled back to her. Kat decided to drop the subject. Besides, she had Quinn to dance with. Sighing deeply, Angel leaned her head on Julian's shoulder.  
  
"I never want this night to end."  
  
"You're all I could ever hope for. I love you, my angel." His eyes locked onto hers and for a moment, their eye color matched perfectly. But then Angel's eyes went violet.  
  
"I love you too, Jules." Their faces were now only inches apart. Angel could only dream of what could happen next.  
  
"This had better not be a dream." He smiled warmly at her.  
  
"It's not."  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I just know," he playfully shot back. He pressed his forehead against hers, and Angel realized that a fine trembling had seized her. But the tremors ceased when a cold band was placed around her finger. She looked at her hand and was mildly surprised when she saw the delicate gold ring. She didn't take it off because she already knew what it said.  
  
"Julian, you shouldn't have," she sighed, looking at the glittering gold object.  
  
"Yes I should've. You deserve that ring more than any other girl."  
  
"More than Jenny?" she asked innocently, giving him Bambi-eyes. He laughed softly and smiled.  
  
"Yes. Much more than Jenny," he told her, taking her hands in his. "First we say it," he continued, meaning to recite the words.  
  
"All I refuse and thee I chuse." Their voices rang in perfect harmony and Julian smiled brightly.  
  
"And now we seal it." And then he kissed her. It was a sweet, warm kiss that melted Angel, and she kissed him back with the same warmth and sweetness. And it wasn't a dream. Angel and Julian seemed to fuse together, and she couldn't have been happier. She had kept her Circle together, she had great friends, and she had Julian, who would live for eternity, and so would Angel. That's how long they would be together. ETERNITY. 


End file.
